Megan Potter - A saga of the heart
by Megan Carlson
Summary: Megan is a ordinary yet unhappy young girl living with her aunt and uncle after her parents died in a car crash. But one night, a huge man comes into her house and drops a bomb on her. One, she's a witch. Two, her parents were murdered, not killed in an accident (okay, that's two bombs, sue me). So she follows Hagrid to Hogwarts where she makes new friends, and new ennemies...
1. Book 1 - Chapter 1

1 - When things seem so low they can't get any worse...

Megan opened her eyes at the rap of the door. She sighed and pulled the switch in her tiny cupboard under the stairs.

"Come on, get up, you need to get to work!"

"Okay, okay... I know..." she said.

She got up and pulled her jeans and favourite jacket on, quickly twisted her hair into a perfect plait and glanced, as she did just about every morning at the scar she had on her forehead using her small mirror. It was shaped like a bolt of lightning and was cleverly hidden by her hair. Megan was ten, but was already promising to be a stunning young woman. She had brown hair with a slight hint of red in it which gave it a very unique colour. Her eyes were a beautiful dark emerald green and had always wondered where she had inherited her features. Certainly not from her aunt, anyway. She was tall, had prominent cheekbones and darker eyes than Megan. As for her uncle... balding, hair of a dull brown, his eyes equally coloured, though he thought of himself as terribly good-looking. And her cousin Nathalie, was the kind of person who looked more like a doll than a person. Tall, wearing push-up bras when she barely had a breast, flashy colours, designer shoes and bags courtesy of her parents, and putting pressure on anyone who got in her way. She refused to eat anything in the world that didn't have "light" or "decaffeinated" on the label. Yet, Megan had seen her head for the ice cream parlour down the street from school with her friends several times as soon as class was over. Megan had lived with her aunt and uncle for as long as she could remember. From what she knew, her parents had died in an accident when she was very small, and she had been dumped on them since then because they were her only living relatives. And whenever she had dared ask about them, she had either been scolded or ignored. When the Dursleys didn't change the subject. And Megan had never understood why. She doubted they were overcome with grief, because they never said anything nice about them. It was something Megan had never understood but knew better than to ask about. She and the Dursleys had never been close. For one thing, she had the name Potter, her father's name. And for another, they never showed her any sign of affection. She'd never done anything wrong, but she supposed having to deal with two children instead of one was complicated, even if part of her thought she might have earned her place by now. She was always quiet, patient, polite, and did everything they told her, even if it was unfair. Nathalie had homework but was tired? Megan would do it. Nathalie was sick? She would go to the teacher and get her homework, then do it so Nathalie didn't exhaust herself. And if she tried to refuse, she was locked in her room without meals until she'd finished. So after a while she had just decide to give in and do what they asked (or rather ordered). As she was very smart, and Nathalie... well, let's say she didn't use her mind the same way, there were a few questions from teachers, but they said Nathalie was bored in class and less inclined to effort.

Megan didn't really notice it, because she was modest and had always been treated like nothing, but she was absolutely beautiful. Her eyes reflected all the honesty and goodness you could find. Yet, she had never had a chance to really express herself. Not outside her room. She glanced at her mother's guitar, last thing she had left of her, and pulled open the door and slipped onto the landing. The thick carpet muffled her footsteps and she walked down the stairs with the grace of a princess. She entered the kitchen just as Nathalie sat down on her chair.

"Where are my presents?" she demanded.

"Over here on the table, dear," her mother said sweetly.

"Have your breakfast first, Nathalie," her father added.

"No, I want my presents now!"

"I can get breakfast ready while she opens her presents," Megan intervened politely. "That way, it won't feel like you're waiting."

"Ah, good idea. Get on, then." Vernon said.

"And darling, maybe you can open a few presents and wait for your friends to open the rest?" Petunia suggested.

Nathalie glanced longingly at the huge pile of packages (indecent in Megan's opinion; if she had any children, she'd never buy them that many presents) and said:

"Yeah, okay."

"You, get to work!" Vernon snapped at Megan.

Megan resisted the urge to say "yes, sir", "your wish is my command", "I live to serve" or something like that. It would not help her. She just sighed and pulled out the ingredients she needed from the cupboards before setting to work. That was her daily routine. Cleaning the house, cooking the meals, and finding the time to do her homework for school and study.

"Wow, the new Blackberry! It's sold out everywhere! The girls in school are going to be so jealous!"

Quick as a flash, she put her card into her new phone and left the other one, which was still in perfect condition and was a recent model itself, on the table.

"You can take that." she said to Megan. "It's so yesterday, it suits you perfectly."

Megan, who had been saving to get a new phone and a new guitar song book was overjoyed. That would save her a good part of her savings! How did she get those savings, you may ask? By performing on weekends. She was almost always left alone then while the Dursleys, only living family she had left, went to theme parks, to a hotel resort or some other fancy place. So she was able to do as she pleased and it was much more comfortable for her.

After a moment, breakfast was downed, Just as Megan was brushing up the lunch table and setting up the dishwasher, the doorbell rang. The Dursleys rounded on her, eyeing her nastily.

"You, upstairs!" her uncle said.

"I know." she said, trying to hide the tiredness in her voice.

They had been very clear. Megan was to disappear from view as soon as Nathalie's clique of girlfriends arrived. It was always that way whenever Nathalie had friends over. Megan was shooed off to her room like a misbehaving child. Even though she was only ten, it was tiresome. She never did anything wrong, why was she cast away like a criminal? The answer? The Dursleys hated her. They had since she was dumped on their door as a child. She'd sensed it early on. They never smiled, said anything nice, or even called her by her name... it was like was no one. She slid her hair behind her ear with a grace any model photographer would have died for and climbed the stairs, went into her room and leaned against the door, sighing. She didn't particularly want to watch Nathalie, who had put on her favourite Gucci dress and Prada shoes, and her equally superficial friends ogle in front of Ashton Kutcher or Brad Pitt... she was more fond of Paul Wesley or Liam Hemsworth, and dressed in either old clothes of Nathalie's or from Wal-Mart. And besides she was much better here in her room. She could do what she liked without being glared at or bossed about. It was the small haven in her world. Her room was small, but it was quite representative of her personality. A large treble clef was painted on the door, thanks to the agreement of uncle Vernon, her window fell onto the garden, a shelf covered with books, cds and dvds, a notebook with notes and staves on every page, a music stand by her desk, and a small bed stood in a corner near the window, and an ornate screen she changed behind in case her aunt or uncle came in. She fell onto her bed and heaved another sigh. Then, she rolled over and pulled out her most treasured possession after her guitar. _Hogwarts: a History._ It was a book she had found in the attic one day, stacked in an old box. She was sure it was all fiction, of course, but though she knew it inside and out, she never got tired of looking at the pictures, reading the stories it told... It was full of stories about wizards and witches who had accomplished things within a magic academy named Hogwarts. She had always wondered who had chosen it, because it was kind of an odd name. And despite her searching, she had never found anything on it. But she felt envious of the people. They used spells, wands and potions, flew on broomsticks... she knew she would have loved it there. The magic, the history, the beauty of the castle...

That was how Megan's life had been for the past ten years. Ever since she could walk she had been treated with nothing but disdain, even hatred by the Dursleys, when she wasn't used for chores. In other words, miserable and lonely. The Dursleys never included her in anyway, seeing her as a nuisance rather than a member of the family. On the contrary, they had gone out of their way to make her feel as unwelcome and unwanted as possible. Whenever they went out for the day, Megan never went with them. They usually dumped her on a neighbour for the day. Mrs Figg, said neighbour, was old and had several cats. Megan, though a dog lover, didn't mind too much, because she liked cats too. It was nice not to be looked at like you would an insect that you were dying to squash under your foot but couldn't or it would smell, for a change, and cat affection was better than none at all, even if Mrs Figg was a bit odd and smelled of cheese. She let Megan watch TV as much as she wanted, and never spoke in any harsh manner, but kept going on about her beloved cats. She could talk about them for hours. Which could get a little tiresome, but it was that or the Dursleys. Megan had long since acknowledged the idea that she would never be accepted in the Dursley household. And she didn't especially want to be accepted in a family who cared more about image and appearances than each other. But she sometimes wished she knew more about her own parents, about how she had gotten her scar, why her aunt and uncle refused to talk about them... it was a part of her that was constantly empty, and aching to be filled. But the thing Megan would have really wanted was a picture. Just a picture of her parents... just one, would have been heaven... but she had begun to accept the idea that she would never get to see what her parents looked like. She wondered whose eyes she had, whose chin... basically, who she was, really. After all, parents were an essential part of your identity. They tied you to your past while guiding you to your future. When they were given the chance, of course.

"Hurry up, Nathalie, or we'll be caught in traffic."

"Where are you going?" Megan asked.

"London. My Nathalie needs a new wardrobe for her new school."

The summer holidays had just begun. The sun was bright and high. Nathalie was to attend middle school that year, in London. Megan was supposed to go to another, which, far from bothering her, made the perspective enjoyable. Finally she wouldn't have to be taunted all day by her cousin and her gang of equally superficial girls. Maybe she could even make friends... Nathalie had always seen to it that she never did at their old school.

"I see." she said. "Is there anything you want me to do while you're gone?"

"...No, that's all right. You have your day."

"But out of my room, get it?" Nathalie growled.

_I wouldn't go in anyway, mine's more than enough, _Megan told herself.

"I know, I know..."

She waited for them to leave and then went up to her room. She pulled out her laptop and switched it on. It was Nathalie's, but her father had bought her a new one when the first one was deemed too small by Nathalie. Megan couldn't see anything small about it. It was one of the largest models on the market to her knowledge. But she got to keep her cousin's first computer, so she didn't complain. You may wonder where the Dursleys found so much money; well, Vernon Dursley was a bank manager, and like most bank managers, he was quite wealthy. His wife Petunia was just a secretary, but in a big company with a very juicy pay check. So, all in all, they had a pretty comfortable life. Even Megan had little to complain about. They let her eat at the table, she had her own room and often got what Nathalie didn't want any more. But she always had a feeling she didn't belong with them. How could she not? They never said anything nice to her, never showed any sign of caring for her... But that wasn't the only thing that made her feel different from her mother's sister's family... several times, odd things had happened to her. One day, she had been cleaning the windows. But the sill was thin, and she was in a precarious position. She remembered that day quite clearly, because it was the first time such a thing had happened to her. She remembered falling backwards towards. But as she had fallen, she had felt something sharp in her back and then she had turned around almost without meaning too. And then, she had straightened up and gently landed on the ground. Quickly looking around to make sure no one had seen, she had quickly gone back inside, rushed to her room to look... but there was nothing. But here had been something in her back, she was certain of it...! She had pulled off her shirt and looked at her back... but there was nothing. And, she had sometimes found some parts described in the book she had found were familiar to her... But she had never shown the book to her aunt or uncle. This was the one thing she had left linking her to her mother. She wanted to treasure it alone. She knew that they would find some way of soiling it. And she refused to let that happen. So she kept it hidden in her room.

That day, with Vernon and Nathalie in London and Petunia at work, things were peaceful. Sunny, quiet without Nathalie demanding something or other; or Vernon bossing her about and being unpleasant. It wasn't often that it happened, so she savoured it. She stayed in her room, the place she felt best in, and tried to relax and enjoy the peace. But like most days when she was alone, Megan felt something was missing as she lay on her bed in her room, her headphones in her ears, her hair spread about her, arms and legs sprawled out. Or, not exactly, no, missing wasn't the right word. It was more like something was inside of her, waiting impatiently to reveal itself, but she couldn't seem to touch it or figure out how to reveal it. And she had a very strong feeling that it had something to do with those strange abilities of hers. The way she always seemed to avoid danger, even sense it before it was there. And she couldn't help but wonder if that was the reason she was shunted aside by the Dursleys so much. No, she doubted it. She'd never told them about it. She knew they would have yelled at her or sent her to her room or on an errand. But then, why else would they be this way? She couldn't think of a reasonable answer. Although, maybe it was just because they had been landed with her without wanting or expecting it... but most people grew to like each other even in those circumstances... and she'd never done anything to purposely irk them... After a while she got tired of being inside and decided to go out for a little while. Her uncle wouldn't be home until six at least, and Nathalie was sure to try and stay in London until she had been through all the shops in the city. Or as many as possible, anyway. She had a little over three hours. More than enough. So, she got up and pulled on her shoes and jacket and left, locking the front door behind her.

It was very warm, and sunny that afternoon. She soon took her jacket off and kept it around her waist over her jeans. In her tank top and with her hair tied up, she felt a little better. She walked up the street and soon was in the busier part of the town. There were several small stores around there. But she wasn't interested in buying anything. She just liked having a little bit of freedom, for a change. She paused by the florist to smell the lavender and roses. She was just considering buying a few seeds to put by her window when she saw a young Labrador walking along on its own. It was in perfect health, and not even that dirty. It must have been left there recently. She knelt down and called gently to her. She had barely spoken before the dog trotted cheerfully towards her as if she were greeting a long lost friend. Megan patted the dog's head.

"Hey, there, boy," she said. "Who would put you out like this?"

The dog made a snorting noise.

"Oh, girl, sorry," Megan smiled.

The dog sniffed curiously at Megan's hair, its big bright eyes looking up at her.

"You're a cute dog..." Megan said. "But my aunt and uncle would kill me if I brought you back... they won't have animals..."

And even as she said that, the thought of abandoning the dog tore her apart. She was so dying for a friend..., and the dog looked so young... not even one yet... but the Dursleys would run her through, and probably throw both of them out. But then, something occurred to her. The Dursleys never went into her room. And they had a side door she could use to take her outside for a run. There was a large space that no one used and would do perfectly. She was alone most of the day anyway, but she did have school... but that dog had such a pleading look in its eyes...

"Oh, don't look at me like that..." she said.

But she didn't want to leave the dog alone in the street either. Eventually, she let out a sigh.

"Okay. But you know, if you're caught, we're both in serious trouble," she said, straightening up. "C'mon."

She had to stop by the store to get some dog food, but she didn't mind. She smiled at the thought that she had not been interesting in buying anything, but had done well to take her purse nonetheless.

Megan quickly washed her new companion outside with the garden hose Petunia and she used for the flowers before letting her into the house once she got home, so that her aunt didn't throw a fit at the sight of a smudge on the floor or something like that. She was very intent on keeping her house spotless. And even if the dog shook herself a few times, wetting Megan and making her laugh, she was very quiet and docile.

"Who'd throw out a cutie like you?" Megan wondered aloud, scratching her ears.

Then, as she was drying her off, she remembered she looked to see if she had a name tag or even an address... she didn't have a collar.

"What should I call you...?" Megan asked her. "Mira? For Miracle? Because you are one, if you ask me. What d'you think?"

She seemed happy enough with it, and yapped happily, wagging her long tail.

"Yes, I think that'll suit you fine, I like that. Mira it is."

"Okay, then. Come on, girl, let's get you to my room."

She led her up the stairs and lay out an old sheet for her to lie on.

"There you go."

She put down a bowl no one ever used for Mira to eat out of, and a plastic bowl with some water, placing them on several layers of old newspaper. She also took a bottle of water so she could fill it up unnoticed. Once she'd eaten and drunk her fill, Mira curled up by Megan, who was sitting on the floor against her bed, stroking her back absently. Mira's presence was deeply comforting, Megan thought. She was thinking she'd have to take her to a vet... she could easily pay for it. She decided to go the very next day. She could easily do it before the Dursleys came back. And Nathalie was going to stay at her friend's the following night. So that was exactly what she did.

"You say you found her on the street? She's in very good form for a stray," the vet told her. "Poor thing must have been dumped just recently..."

"Yes, that's what I thought." Megan said.

But she'd been relieved that her new friend had no illnesses or problems. And so, she became the proud owner of Mira.

All in all, Mira was in excellent health. And a very gentle dog. And at first, everything went fairly smoothly. Megan got up extra early to walk Mira and bring her back upstairs before the Dursleys woke up, then tried to make sure Mira didn't stay in the house alone too long. Not that she was worried she'd damage something, but she knew dogs liked being able to move about as they liked, and with Petunia, Nathalie or Vernon who could pop in at any time of the day for any given reason, she just couldn't risk it and had to keep her in her room. And when the Dursleys were out and about, it was easier. She could let her outside or take her to the park a few blocks away. But even then, things were a little tricky. Aside from her not letting any hairs fall anywhere outside her room, Megan had to clean twice as carefully. And at night, because Megan couldn't resist having her on the bed by her, enjoying the warm, peaceful presence Mira brought too much, she took great care in dusting the sheets so the Dursleys didn't find any dog hairs. She bought her a proper dog bowls, a lead, brushed her every day, and they soon became very close. Now, one might wonder where she found this money when her aunt and uncle never gave her any money unless it was to get groceries, and she was of course required to give the change back. But she was a good musician, and a nearby pub let her play there occasionally. It wasn't much, but it helped her pay for her things herself rather than ask the Dursleys for money she knew they'd never give her. And for the following week, the Dursleys never had a clue, for she was exceptionally quiet. Megan was sure she understood the situation and reacted consequently. And she also had to be careful that the neighbours didn't see her with Mira, or they were sure to mention her to them. Luckily, the Dursleys weren't too appreciated, so they were mainly ignored. But she didn't want to take a chance. However for all her efforts, her tactics would prove ineffective...

It was another hot sunny day. Megan was sitting on her bed quietly, propped up against her wall. Mira lying by the foot of the bed. After a moment, she glanced up.

"Hey, Mira," she said as her faithful companion hopped up to lie down beside her.

She was looking at a picture in her book. She showed it to Mira, who sniffed curiously.

"Looks cool, doesn't it Mira?"

She was admiring the picture of a large castle. She didn't even know what century or style it was because it looked so atypical, with a huge gorge, tall towers and walls, a suspended bridge and a large forest behind it. It had about half a dozen turrets. It was all in all magnificent. Mira nudged her hand affectionately.

"I know, it beats this place, doesn't it?" Megan sighed. "But it's just a fantasy... I'll be stuck here until I can earn enough to get my own place. Go to university. I'm thinking America, what d'you think? I like London, but it's not far enough."

Just then, her aunt rapped at the door.

"What are you doing in there?"

"Nothing, nothing," she said quickly, putting her hand on Mira's muzzle to keep her quiet.

"Come on, then, I need you to get the groceries for dinner."

Megan heaved a sigh.

"I'll be right there!" she said.

She waited for the stairs to indicate Petunia was downstairs. She turned to Mira.

"Okay, I have to go out for a bit. You stay here, okay? I won't be long."

She got to her feet and patted Mira on the head, and quickly checked for dog hairs on her clothes before leaving the room, taking her purse as well as her "official one", the one she always kept empty and used for the Dursley's money so she didn't mix her own money with theirs by mistake. Then, she went downstairs where Petunia was waiting with a list of things to buy.

"It takes a while to cook, so hurry it up," she said briskly.

"Yes, aunt Petunia."

"And get me some soda!" Nathalie called from the living room. "Diet!"

"Okay," she said. "Is that all, before I go?"

"Yes," Petunia said. "Go on, then."

And so, she went.

She was soon done with the errands and returned. But Nathalie, who had asked for a diet soda, complained at the one Megan had bought.

"That's not what I asked for!"

As there were about a dozen possibilities, Megan had gotten one she'd already gotten in the past. Clearly, that had been a mistake.

"You didn't specify a brand, Nathalie." Megan defended herself.

"You shouldn't need me to!" she snapped.

"Now, now, pet, you can't expect Megan to know what you want unless you tell her. She meant well, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"See?! She admitted it! She did it on purpose!"

"I did not!" Megan protested. "If you wanted another make, you should have told me!"

"I always take the same, you know it!"

"You're always trying new ones!"

Just then, Nathalie screamed and jumped away from the stairs.

"What the...! AAH! A dog! Help, it bit me!"

"Take it outside," Vernon shot at Megan. "Petunia, get Nathalie to the car, we'll head to the hospital immediately."

"Wait!"

She ran in front of Mira, who, wanting to protect Megan, had nipped Nathalie.

"What?"

"She's my dog... I found her recently... she's really well tamed, honestly... and Nathalie's fine, she's not even bleeding, it was just a pinch."

"I don't want a dog in the house! Make it go away!"

"She's been here for weeks, maybe and we didn't notice!"

"Just a few days, I swear," Megan said. "She'll stay in my room, I'll just take her out to walk her, I promise. Please? She won't do any harm, and I'll pay for the expenses...

"How would you do that, you don't have a penny!"

"I get paid for my gigs at the pub." Megan said. "And she won't change anything in your lives, or so little..."

"Well..."

Megan, who was willing to do anything to protect Mira, turned pleading.

"It's all I ask. You can work me bloody if you want, just please, let me keep her..."

They looked at each other for a moment.

"Well, I don't want to have her in the house," Nathalie insisted.

"If she stays in my room...!" Megan pleaded.

"And you'll provide for her in every aspect?" Vernon asked.

"Yes. You'll barely notice her, I promise."

"... Very well then." Vernon said. "But I expect to not see that dog more than strictly necessary."

"Yes, sir." Megan said.

"But, Daddy!"

"Now, now, pet, you can have anything you want." Vernon said. "It's your cousin's turn this time."

Megan couldn't believe it. She had convinced them! They had actually defended her in front of Nathalie! She wondered why... and hoped it meant they were maybe not so bad.

"Thanks, uncle Vernon. Thanks, aunt Petunia."

She hurried back up. But after a few steps she paused.

"Oh, uh... I could go get the right soda, if you want." She told Nathalie.

"No, I don't like it any more." Nathalie said haughtily and stalked off.

Megan raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Just then Mira yapped and she looked up with a smile.

"Coming, Mira."

She returned to her room. Mira sniffed at her guitar case.

"Ah, you like that? That, girl, is my treasure."

She picked it up and played a few chords.

_Here I am, far from home_

_Not that hungry, but really alone_

_But it's all right_

_Yes it's all right_

_Cos in this world, I'll find a friend_

_Can't see yet how the story ends_

_But it's all right_

_Yeah, it's all right_

_Maybe I can start anew_

_Can't go back so I've gotta go on_

_We'll stick together, staying strong_

_There's a magic castle in my mind_

_And some day soon_

_We're going to find it_

_We're going to find it..._

_We're going to find it..._

_Someday soon..._

She knew it was short, but she was waiting for a change to add her second verse. She wanted it more upbeat in the lyrics, but hadn't found them yet. She turned to Mira.

"What d'you think?" she asked her.

Given the waggy tail and long hanging tongue, she seemed approving. Megan grinned and stroked her back.

"Thanks, girl." she said.

She scratched her ears head and looked at the cover of her book. Then, she felt like going back into the attic for another look for anything of her parent's.

The attic was small, but full of boxes and many other things. She had never found enough time to go through all of it. She sat down on the nearest box and looked around, remembering when she'd found the book... It was about a year before. She had been sent up to the attic to retrieve an old recipe book for Vernon's birthday. She had finally found it, but as she had pulled the box off, she had bumped another. And on the front of it, she had read something that had made her heart skip a beat. Lily Potter. She had always known her last name was Potter, the Dursleys had never wanted her to have that name, and nor had she. Potter was much nicer in her opinion. Not to mention it was her own name. Of course, she'd immediately put her box down and looked inside her mother's. She often wondered afterwards why Petunia had kept it so long... maybe she had been given her sister's belongings and just left them up there out of the way. The box was all dusty, so it obviously hadn't been opened in years. She immediately jumped towards it and pulled the lid open. She had rummaged through it feverishly. But, unfortunately, there were no pictures. She had fought back her tears of disappointment. There other things of interest, like books, a jewerly box inside of which was a silver bracelet with a small diamond. It was beautiful and she had sworn to herself never to lose it. She'd slipped into her pocket so her aunt didn't see it, and then had resumed search. There was a picture of her as a baby, looking at the camera and smiling; but what had been unsettling about it was that her image moved. In shock she had almost dropped it. She figured it was just her imagination. She had also found the copy of _Hogwarts a History_, and a box with a long finely sculpted stick inside it. But something had kept her from touching it, even now. As if she knew it wasn't time. There was just one other thing of her mother's: a small, silver doe pendant. She had never quite know what it had meant to her but her mother's name was carved on the back. She had immediately slid it on and rarely took it off.

Her mind came back to the present as she wondered if there was anything else of her mother's or her father's. They couldn't have had so few belongings... maybe they'd been damaged or lost or just thrown out... She knew so little of them it pained her, but what could she do? Her aunt and uncle refused to even hear of taking her to her parents' house.

"It will have been sold, by now," they would say. "I doubt there's anything of yours there. So I wouldn't even bother thinking about it any more."

But every time, the subject came up, she sensed an unease about them. So the summer days wore on, none too different from the last. But at least, they felt less lonely, in Megan's opinion, now she had Mira. So all in all, things weren't too bad. And in a few weeks she'd be off to school in a different county and had even found a solution for Mira.

"We are not taking care of that beast while you're away in the day." Vernon had said firmly.

"I'll find someone to keep her for me." She'd promised.

It hadn't been easy, since she didn't want to leave her in a kennel, but the school director had been very helpful, and offered that she be their mascot for the school football team, as the previous one had sadly died. And Megan would be able to have her near, so she'd been thrilled. But she was still hoping something would change. Soon, preferably... anything... Mira had been a great change, but there was still a void in her. Though, truth be told, she wasn't sure whether it was a void or something she couldn't shake off. But she didn't feel complete. That, she was certain of. The problem was she had no way of identifying what would enable her to feel complete. That was until the dream. The dream that would change her life forever.


	2. Book 1 - Chapter 2

2 – When changes are way bigger than you could ever imagine

It was night time. The air was warm, that evening. It was a summer night in a small village. In the village was a small house where a loving family was

living. In that house, a young mother was putting her child to bed. She was singing a song Megan didn't think she'd heard before. It sounded strangely

familiar, though... then, once the child had closed its eyes and drifted off to sleep, the young woman quietly slipped out and went downstairs.

"Have you put her to sleep?" said a warm male voice.

In an armchair by the fire, Megan could see a young man she had never seen, but, again, felt was strangely familiar. He was looking up at a beautiful

young red haired woman, who also looked familiar.

"It took three lullabies, but yes," a female voice replied.

He was tall, sitting in an armchair reading a book, she had long red hair and soft green eyes. She sat down by him.

"Ha, our little girl is turning out to be quite the wiggler, isn't she?" he smiled.

"More of a troublemaker, like her father," she countered with a laugh.

He lay his arm around her shoulder and she rested against his chest. Why do they look so familiar...? Megan wondered, watching the scene.

"Yes, but she's as beautiful as her mother." he answered.

Just then, a noise made them look up.

"Did you hear something?"

"I did..."

They jumped to their feet and hurried up the stairs. But Megan stayed at the foot of the stairs. Just then, there was a shout:

"Lily, take Megan and go!"

"James, no!"

"GO!"

There was a flash of green light, and then, the scream, and the cries of a baby.

Megan sat bolt upright, gasping and sweating. She didn't even realise at first that she was still dressed in her sports joggings and a t-shirt. She had

fallen asleep while reading, it appeared. She had never had a dream like that. Terrified, she burst into tears before she could stop herself. After a few

moments, she ran a hand through her hair and breathed deeply. Once she

had calmed down enough to think, she lay back down on her bed and tried to understand. None of this made sense. Her aunt and uncle had always

told her that her parents had been killed in an accident, and were otherwise always reluctant to even speak her parents' name she wiped her eyes

and thought about the situation. And somehow, it had to be more than animosity. And her dream told her something that was hard to believe. It

seemed to be suggesting that her parents hadn't died in a car accident like she had been led to believe all her life. But what was that light about...?

She hadn't heard a gunshot or anything, not even a scream... although maybe that was just the dream... and come to think of it, she thought that light

had had a greenish colour to it, which was weird... In any case it was really pretty confusing. She glanced out her window. It was dark outside. Her

clock told her it was nearly fifteen minutes past midnight. It just then occurred to her that she'd turned eleven. Just then, she heard a noise downstairs

that pulled her out of her reverie. She sat up, listening. There it was again. She wasn't afraid, but she didn't really want the Dursleys to get hurt so she

slipped out of her bed and went down the stairs. She could still hear noises. Whoever they were weren't being very careful... they weren't even trying

to keep quiet... so they were either some crazy guy, or a very clumsy thief. Mira jumped to her feet and followed her. No one was about to hurt her

mistress!

Quietly and graceful as a cat, she tiptoed forwards to look into the entrance hall. And froze. She was standing behind a man who was at least

twice as tall as an average man, and at nearly twice as wide. He had long bushy dark hair, a long moleskin coat that looked rather worn, and a thick

pair of leather boots and gloves, the kind bikers used. He was grumbling and rubbing his head. She imagined that his bumping his head was what had

woken her up.

"Ruddy Muggles... can't have bigger houses..."

"Who are you?" she asked in a voice she wanted firm as she flicked on the light.

He jumped, bumping his head again on the ceiling, and turned around. Megan couldn't help but take a step back. She didn't notice it, but she looked

almost royal, standing on the stairs, her hair in a ponytail barely rippled, the pink and mauve sport suit she had pulled on highlighting the clarity of her

skin.

"...? Megan Potter?"

She resisted the urge to step back slightly further.

"How d'you know my name?" she asked, trying to remain composed. She

had no idea who this guy was, but for some reason, Mira didn't seem wary of him. But she kept her guard up. His face was kinder than his imposing

stature suggested. Almost boyish. He had large brown eyes, and round features.

"Oh, so sorry, where are me manners? I'm Hagrid. Keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts."

Megan's eyes widened so big they seemed too big to be real, yet, it took away none of her natural beauty.

"W... you're joking, right?"

"No, why wouldI?" "... Hogwarts is real?"

"'course it is, as real as I am."

"But... it can't be! It's just a fictional place in a book!"

"No, it's not."

Megan thought about it. Either he was a maniacal fan who had read the book and liked it so much he had become persuaded it was real, or he was

telling... the truth. And she was sorely tempted to believe the second option.

"But I thought Hogwarts was meant for witches and wizards only," Megan finally said, stepping down the last few steps, still guarded. "So why would

you come looking for me? I'm not a witch... am I?"

"It's nothin' to be afraid of," he said with a smile. "It's not the idea Muggles convey of it. Course, there's the odd bad egg, but that's jus' like anywhere,

innit? If yeh come with me, yeh'll see it's much more interesting."

"I don't think so, sir."

They both jumped and Megan wheeled around (Hagrid being too big to do it as easily, he was a little slower).

"Uncle Vernon..." she stammered.

Indeed, he and his wife and daughter were standing in the stairway.

And the latter may have been hiding behind Petunia, but her parents didn't look happy. Yet Megan easily noticed the flicker of fear in their eyes as they

saw Hagrid. Megan looked from one to the other.

"Girls, go to your rooms. I'll deal with... this gentleman."

Nathalie started to obey, and Megan, having been used to taking commands, had taken a step. But then, she stopped.

"No." she said.

"What?" Petunia snapped.

"I told you to go to your room!"

Vernon repeated angrily.

"And I said no way!" Megan shot back just as angrily. "I'm done with following your orders like a dog!"

Hagrid's eyes turned black.

"What did they do to you?"

"Nothing but obtain reimbursement for our generosity."

"_Generosity?_ You turned me into your personal, free maid!" Megan shouted.

Finally, she could let it out. She didn't know where this was coming from but it was too far gone to stop. All the frustration she had kept in for years. All

the pain, the sadness. Then, she turned back to Hagrid.

"So... Am I a witch?"

"Yep. Daughter to two of the best and kindest I've known."

Megan faltered.

"... You knew my parents?"

"Yeah. Hard blow, it was, when I heard that they'd... been murdered."

His voice got strangled as he finished. And Megan's world came crashing down with just one word.

"...Murdered...?"

So her dream... that light... it was all the truth? Had she actually witnessed her parents' death, which for so long she had thought to be an accident?

But how would she remember it when she was too small to remember even her parents? Maybe the fact that it was such a brutal and terrible

experience had stuck with her anyway, deep down...

"You mean they weren't killed in an accident...?" she asked in a whisper.

"An accident? Who told

you such a stupid thing?" "..."

Her eye slid to her aunt and uncle. Hagrid's did too, and his eyes turned even blacker.

"You mean you never told her?"

"Well, of course not. I had more than enough of that nonsense with my sister, I wasn't about to go through it again with her."

Megan's beautiful eyes grew even wider.

"You knew! You knew it all along, that I'm a witch!" she realised suddenly. "Of course we did." Petunia said stiffly. "My sister and my parents, they were

proud of the situation. We have a witch in the family isn't that fabulous? And when I saw you on that doorstep, I knew it would probably mean nothing

but trouble for us. And I was right."

"What trouble did she ever give yeh? Dumbledore asked me to watch over her, and she's done nothing but help yeh." He pointed to Nathalie. "Who

helped that ingrate when she couldn't find her dress? Or when she was on the phone and nearly got hit by a car and didn't get o much as a thank

yeh?!"

Megan had nearly forgotten that incident. They had been sent to the store together, because there would be too much for Megan to carry, so Petunia

had sent Nathalie to help. But on the way, her new cell phone had rung and she had, of course, answered. But she had soon been so involved in her

conversation that she hadn't even noticed the car speeding their way.

"Watch out!" Megan had yelled and yanked her backwards, so hard she fell backwards herself and hurting her arm slightly.

Hagrid saw Megan's jaw drop slightly as she remembered what he should never have known.

"I've been watching over you, and several times I thought I'd need to help you out, but you were always able to get by just fine on your own."

"You were watching me...?"

"Well, Dumbledore asked me to..."he said, slightly uncomfortable.

"..."

Megan had no idea who this Dumbledore was, so why would he be interested in her? She looked up at Hagrid. He seemed nice enough. And he had no

reason to lie to her, did he...?

"I won't pay for her to go to a school with a ridiculous name to learn magic tricks!" Vernon growled.

"The entrance is free." Hagrid snarled back. "And that decision ain't yours to make, Dursley."

He looked down at the young eleven year old who stood in front of him, her eyes guarded, yet full of courage.

"..."

She looked at her "family", and the last years of her life. They had hardly been what she considered a life... Mira had been the only real happy

moment...

"... So... I'm really a witch? I can... cast spells?"

"Well, once you've gotten a wand and learned a few, yeah."

"And my Mum and Dad were both wizards too?"

"They were. Kindest people I ever met."

Just then, there was a beeping sound.

"Oh, yikes, gotta go. So, what do you want to do?"

"..."

Before she could answer, Vernon said:

"She's not going anywhere, so you can just walk out right now."

"No!"

They all looked at Megan. She didn't falter.

"I beg your pardon?" Vernon asked stiffly.

"You heard me. I'm not staying."

"After all we did for you?!"

"All you've done for me? I have been nothing to you ever since you took me in, yet I have done nothing but make efforts and do what I was asked.

Well, I'm tired of living the life chosen for me. This time, I'm going to make the choice. Mister Hagrid?"

"Yes?"

"I'll go with you."

"No you will not!"

"I am. If my parents were wizards, then, my becoming one will bring me closer to them. It may be my only chance to change my life, and I'm taking it."

So before they could answer, she rushed past them into her room, leaving the door open as she went. Soon, her belongings were all gathered in her

duffel bag. She slid it onto her shoulder and pushed past Nathalie.

"Hey, if she gets to go to a cool school, I want to go to."

"Absolutely out of the question!"

"Magic folk only, so no worries, Dursley, she can't go anyway." Hagrid said curtly. "That all ye got?"

"Pretty much," she said. "But it's okay. I don't need much more."

"One moment, young lady!"

"No. I'm tired of being just a shadow. I want to be the shining light, for once."

And she followed Hagrid out the Dursleys, probably out of fear of Hagrid, didn't follow.

"Wow, what's that?!"

"This is the bike of a friend. I used it to bring you here when you were little."

"..." He climbed on.

"C'mon, hop on."

Some people would be scared, but she felt excited. She smiled, took his huge hand and mounted behind him. And when the Dursleys came out onto the

yard, the bike was already soaring into the sky.

When Megan opened her eyes, they were flying quietly in the sky.

"Oh, my...!"

"Mornin'!" Hagrid greeted her cheerfully. "Where are we?"

"Just above London. Don't worry. The Muggles can't see us."

"Muggles?"

"Humans who can't use magic, like yer aunt an' uncle."

"Oh... uh, so why are we going to London?"

"To get you yer stuff, 'course. School starts tomorrow."

"What, but... I know... nothing at all about magic! How am I...?"

"Relax, I'll tell you what yeh need ter know, don't you worry."

She breathed a little easier, but stayed silent.

"Yeh all right, Megan?"

She looked up at him. He seemed genuinely worried about her.

"... I guess. It's just... my whole life changed in one night... It's kind of confusing, I don't know where I'm going, what I'm supposed to do..."

"Yeh'll be fine, I'm sure."

"Hagrid?"

"Yes?"

"What happened to my parents?"

"... I'm not sure I-"

"Please, Hagrid?"

He heaved a heavy sigh.

"... There are all kinds of wizards out there, you know. Some of them go bad. And one went worse than that... He's called... V... Voldemort."

"Voldemort?"

"Yes, but no one speaks his name. They're too afraid of him."

"So he killed my mother and father?"

He nodded.

"Why?"

He hesitated a moment.

"No one knows exactly why, or at least not many, and I don't think I would be the best person to tell you if I did. But I can tell you what happened..."

"Please..."

"Well... the night I found you, the house was badly bashed up. I'm not sure of the details, but it seems that while they were at their house, he came in,

and killed yer Dad..."

He looked up at her, gauging her reaction. She took a deep breath and said:

"Please, continue."

"... Ever wonder how you got that scar up there?"

Megan didn't answer. She had often wondered about that, but had never thought it could be connected to her parents' death...

"Well, it's believed that when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named killed James, he... went for you. You was just a tiny baby... an' I know he was rotten, but I

can't believe he would kill a defenceless child..."

"Why would he attack me? What threat was I to him...?"

"No one really knows. Guess that he didn' wan' yeh to come for revenge someday or summat. Anyway, the thing is, yer mother was still there, and

when he aimed for you... she protected you."

There was a silence.

"Oh, here we are."

They landed in a side street and he led her to a small pub. The Leaky Cauldron.

"In this way, Megan."

She followed him in. There was a slight smell of tobacco, and a low bustle of conversation. She stayed close to Hagrid. Something in him made her feel

safe. She wasn't sure why, but she sensed he was someone she could trust. That he was the strongest bridge for her to cross the river separating the

world she had lived in from the one she was about to discover. They reached the bar where a rosy cheeked man greeted them.

"Hello, there, Hagrid old boy! The usual?"

"No thanks, Tom, Hogwarts business. Just helping young Megan here get her school stuff."

Megan must not have been a very common name in the wizarding world. Megan would a long time wonder if that had been out of respect for her or

just because it was old fashioned. Or if it was to make her stand out more.

"Megan...? As in... Potter?"

"Uh... yes..." she said shyly.

Everyone turned to them. Megan blushed furiously red. She had never really been the centre of attention like that before. At school she was mainly

ignored. But Mira was calm so Megan wasn't scared.

"It's s-s-uch an ho-honour to meet you, M-miss Potter," said someone.

"Oh, hello, Professor Quirrel. Megan, meet Professor Quirrel, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Mira looked slightly wary, but not threatening. She figured it was the proximity of this new person.

"What's that?" Megan asked, intrigued.

"It's... L-learning t-t-to cast s-spells in b-b-battle, and cou-counter dark creatures." he answered.

Just then, someone came up behind them to say hello.

"I'm really happy to see you, Miss." said another. "Miss Rockford's the name."

Soon, she was surrounded by people trying to see her, touch her, and speak to her.

"Oh, sorry, gotta go, Tom. C'mon, Megan. Move along, guys, c'mon. Let us through, please."

He gently towed her towards the back of the bar, Mira on their heels.

"Who were all those people?" She asked as they slipped into a small back room with stone walls and shelves that seemed too high for anyone to

reach.

"Well, they were people who fear the dark wizard I told you about. You're very important to them."

"What? What do you mean?" "Oh, here we are... two... three... six... one."

He tapped four different stones and suddenly, Megan forgot all she wanted to ask. The wall fell backwards, the bricks slipping aside. And behind that

wall was a long street full of people.

"Welcome, Megan to Diagon Alley."


	3. Book 1 - Chapter 3

3 – Diagon Alley – Entrance into a new world.

It was a really different sight from what Megan was used to. The people wore long cloaks, hats, there were owls everywhere, the shops were incredible. Books, glass viols, animals, all kinds of things no one would expect to see in a normal street.

"What is this place?" she asked in amazement.

"This, is where most of the wizarding folk come to get their magical supplies."

"But I don't know what I need to get..."

"Oh, 'course, silly me!"

He produced a slightly crumpled piece of paper.

"Here yeh go, that's the list of stuff yeh need. But firs', we'll need to go to the Gringotts bank."

"Bank? But I have no money..."

"Ah, then Gringotts is just the place."

He led her up the streets. A few people greeted him along the way. Others just looked away.

"Ah, some people like their normality," he'd shrugged when she'd asked about it. "Don't mind 'em."

Gringotts was a tall white building that was surrounded by large white pillars. It was elegant, but in a snob way. Like it was trying to surpass everything else.

"Ah, they're very proud in Gringotts," Hagrid had said when she'd expressed her feeling. "Best stay close to me."

That, if it was supposed to reassure her, didn't. But she soon saw why. Like the outside, the inside of Gringotts was very pretentious. Gold and marble everywhere, a regal precision everywhere... and in the stalls on either side of the long hall, were... what were they?

"Hagrid...?" she asked in a whisper. "What are they...?"

She felt very uneasy and uncomfortable.

"Goblins. Brilliant with numbers, but not exactly the social type. Don't worry, though. They stay still most of the time. They love calculations."

Somehow, that didn't make her feel any safer. They reached the final counter, straight ahead. Another elderly goblin sat there, his long wrinkled nose bent over papers. When he heard them reach him, he looked up.

"Hello there, Miss Potter here wishes to make a withdrawal."

"You have your key, I trust?"

Key? What key? She was about to say no, when Hagrid said:

"Oh, I have it."

He rummaged through his enormous pockets and pulled out a small gold key.

"Here. Oh, and there's the, uh... the business in the you know which vault."

He nodded.

"I'll have a goblin escort you."

Soon, they were led to a cart that wobbled into an underground tunnel. After what felt like an eternity, they reached vault 515.

"Key, please."

The goblin unlocked the vault. And Megan gasped.

"Wait... wha... what is..."

There were piles and piles of gold, silver and bronze coins.

"What is all this?!"

"That, is what your parents left yeh. Didn't think they'd leave yeh resourceless, did yeh?"

She was unable to speak.

"You mean... all this is mine?" She finally asked.

"Yep. Yeh should just take enough for your supplies, for now. Yeh never know when yeh might need it."

She agreed completely. Having been used to living with little, she had become an expert in saving up for future needs. So she took a few handfuls of

galleons, then a few sickles and Knuts. That way, she would probably still have a little to have on her if she needed any. Then, they went to another

vault, much deeper into the ground. The vault 713.

"What's in there?"

"Can't tell you, it's confidential." Hagrid apologised.

When the vault opened, she only had time to glimpse a small package before Hagrid reached in and pocketed it.

"You can't tell anyone about this at Hogwarts, okay?"

"Sure." Megan agreed.

After another rather bumpy ride they left the bank. The streets were still bustling with activity.

"Let's see... you'll need robes, first of all." Hagrid said, peering at her list over her shoulder. "And the best place for that is Mme Malkins."

He led her to the shop. He was a little big to fit, so he said he'd go and do a few other things while she took care of her school robes.

"Ooh, you're a slim little thing, aren't you?" Madame Malkins said after measuring her.

Megan said nothing and glanced at Mira. She was sitting quietly in a corner of the room, a bowl of water by her. As she started clipping and cutting,

waving her long wand, the pieces of cloth flew around her, tying themselves around her and under her arms, moving around like feathers.

"And there you go, lovey."

She looked at herself in a large mirror. Her eyes were enhanced by the black materiel, and her hair slid gently along her shoulders.

"Oh, here, can't forget this..."

She placed a black pointed hat on her head. But it wasn't the huge kind you saw with the … what was the term Hagrid had used? Muggles? It was

much more elegant and suited her outfit perfectly.

"You look like it was made for you," Madame Malkins said.

"Thank you," Megan said, slightly surprised.

She had never really been complimented before.

She paid and then joined Hagrid who was waiting for her with two ice creams. They walked over to a bench.

"You all right? You've been really quiet."

Megan licked her chocolate and raspberry ice cream and looked ahead.

"It's just... Part of me's really excited to go to Hogwarts. I mean, ever since I found the book about it I fell in love with the place... But another part of

me's... terrified. What if I'm no good, what if I'm not meant for Hogwarts...?"

"I'm sure you'll be fine." he assured her.

"But I've never even done any magic!"

"You have, instinctively. And besides, that's what yeh're goin' there for, to learn how to do magic."

Megan wanted to believe him, but she was so hoping it wouldn't turn out to be like her other schools...

"What house you want to be in?"

"Sorry?"

"Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw, 'course."

"Oh, of course, the four founders of Hogwarts..."

"Yep, that's 'em."

"... I guess I'd be happy with either one... except Slytherin."

"Aye, not the most popular one, that. No good wizard comes out of slytherin. Their founder, Salazar Slytherin was a bad'un. Never liked bonding with

the others, they didn't."

He got to his feet.

"C'mon then, still got lots ter do."

"D'you have everything?" Hagrid asked

They had been going around the shops for the past two hours. Megan checked her list

"Except for the wand," she replied, Mira trotting happily beside her.

"You'll need a wand. Can't go to Hogwarts without that," he'd said.

"I have my mother's..."

"Have yeh touched it?"

"No, not yet... I had a feeling I shouldn't. Why?"

"Because you can still be chosen by it. D'you have it on you?"

"I don't, but... can I really use her wand?"

"Well, generally, each wizard has their wand, but it can happen that they use their parents' wand, if they have died by cause of magic. Like yours. But

you can still choose your own."

Megan thought about it a moment.

"... I wouldn't want to get it damaged. I think I'd prefer to have my own."

"You want Ollivanders, then."

He left her outside, saying he had to take care of something. Megan, suspecting animals wouldn't be allowed, sent Mira off with Hagrid. So, she took a

deep breath and pushed the door.

The bell above her head tinkled. She glanced around at the dusty bookshelves and small tattered armchair in a corner. An elderly man sat behind the

desk.

"How can I help you, miss?" He asked her, looking up. "Ah, I was hoping I would get to see you, young miss Potter," he said, recognising her.

"Uh... I need a wand, please..." she said shyly.

"Ah, you've come to right place then. First year, I presume?"

"Yes," she agreed.

"Let me see, then..."

He got up and looked up and down the long rows of shelves with small flat dark boxes sat.

"Let's try... this one."

He held it out to her.

"Just give it a wave."

She looked at it first. It was different from her mother's. Its handle was slightly less finely carved, but it was still a fine design. But it had a very dark

wood she wasn't sure she liked. Looking around for some place that didn't have too many fragile items, she flicked her wrist slightly. The book shelf in

front of her lost a few of its books.

"Oops... sorry, sir."

"That's quite all right. It's just not quite the right wand, that's all."

He handed her another and this time, nothing happened at all. So, she waved it again, and this time several more books fell and the shelves wobbled

dangerously.

"Oh, no, no, that one just won't do, now, will it."

He took it back and looked up his shelves. After a few seconds, he paused.

"Hm... would it be even possible...? I wonder... maybe..."

He held out another to her.

"Try this one."

She took it and before she could even look at it, she felt a warm glow through her fingers and her hand. And she had the feeling it was different than

the other wands. The lights around her glowed.

"Well, I'll be..."

"What, sir?" Megan asked.

"Well... your wand is quite unique, Miss Potter. You see, the phoenix's feather that was used for that wand in your hand gave one other feather from

which was created another wand... making them intimately connected."

"Who owned that wand?" Megan asked but she had a feeling she knew the answer. And it wasn't pretty.

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

Yeah. She'd figured as much. So that meant she had the same wand as the person who had killed her parents. Yippee.

"I know this sounds unpleasant," he said, catching her expression. "But the wand chooses the wizard. And I'm sure that yours will be different from

his."

She paid and was about to leave when she heard a tap on the window.

"Happy Birthday; Megan!"

She looked out and her eyes widened. Sitting on top of her pile of supplies, was a large cage. And inside the cage was a snowy white owl.

"Thank you, Mr Ollivander, bye!" she said and darted out.

She pushed the door open and hurried to look at the owl. He chuckled and said:

"You're welcome, dear." he said.

Megan was already staring at the owl.

"Hagrid, she's beautiful!"

"Good eye, how d'you know it's a female?"

"I looked into owls a few times." she explained.

"Thought I'd get ye a little birthday present. Don't look like ye've had that many, eh?"

"Thanks, Hagrid."

Then something hit her.

"My list says you can bring an owl, a cat or a toad, but what about a dog?"

Mira barked, as if to say "Yeah, what about me?!"

"Oh, Mira will be all right. She can keep my ol' boy Fang company while you're in class."

She smiled, relieved.

That afternoon, Hagrid left her at the station back to Privet Drive. in such a short time. The Dursleys didn't speak to her, but that wasn't so different

from the rest of the time. She went up to her room, stroked Mira and dropped her bags on her bed. And she spent the rest of the evening looking at

her books, reading them as thoroughly as she could. And they were all fascinating. Aftera while, she drew a calender and ticked off her birthday. One

month to go. But she eventually realised there would be a problem as the days wore on. Her aunt and uncle wouldn't even hear the word "magic", so

she doubted they'd give her a ride to the station. But that was no matter, she could take a bus or the train she'd taken to get back. And after a little

digging, she found a simple way to get there by herself. That only left the problem of the trunk. It was huge. A dark red leather with her initials carved

on it (the shopkeeper had insisted), it was heavy enough empty, so loaded with books and everything else... but she was too fascinated by all that the

books contained that she couldn't pack it yet. And eventually, the last day of August, she packed all her things. Vernon hadn't even mentioned the

school, but the positive outcome was that they hadn't dared ask her to do anything around the house. She set her alarm, that evening, and went

down to tell the Dursleys she would be leaving the next morning.

"Fine." was all Vernon had said.

Not that Megan had expected anything else. So the next morning, she got up early, gathered her things, and went off. Lugging her big trunk around

was difficult, but she eventually she reached King's Cross Station. It was bustling with people. She glanced at the ticket Hagrid had given her. It said

platform 9 and ¾, but she had looked up and down and no sign of it. She thought about asking a conductor, but they would probably just look at her

with concerned eyes. Just then, she spotted a group of people pushing trolleys similar to her own and one of them had an owl on it. She decided to

follow them.

"Come on, hurry, the train will be leaving soon. Hurry, now, dear."

They all had vivid red hair. One of them was her age, a boy. A small girl a little younger walked with two tall twins, followed by their mother with a taller

boy again behind her. They paused at one point.

"Oh, here it is."

It was the pillar separating platforms 9 and 10. Megan frowned, confused.

"Excuse me...?" she said, coming up to them.

"Oh, hello, there," the mother said kindly. "Is it your first year?"

She had spotted Hedwig and the large trunk.

"Yes... could you please tell me how to get to platform 9 and ¾?"

"Of course, nothing easier, not to worry, dear."

The red head mother took her shoulder and pointed to the pillar.

"You walk straight ahead into the wall, and you'll be there."

"... Into the wall?" Megan asked uncertainly.

"Fred and George will show you."

The two twins stepped forwards and stood side by side. Then, the first pushed his trolley towards the wall, gathering speed as he went. Afraid of the

crash, Megan closed her eyes and looked away. But the crash didn't come. She looked up, and gasped.

"He's gone...!"

"Watch George." the mother said.

He did the same. And sure enough, he went through the wall!

"Oh, my...!"

"My turn, now!" the freckled boy Megan's age said.

And soon, he had vanished too.

"You next, Ginny, dear," her mother said.

The young redhead girl shied away from the wall.

"You scared to go?" Megan asked.

"A little..."

"Then, let's go together, okay? C'mon, Mira, up you get."

She climbed on top of the trunk and sat there. They locked the two trolleys together, then Megan put her hand over Ginny's shoulder. Then, they

pushed it forward. Gathering speed as they went, Megan started thinking "What am I doing, I'm just going to hit that wall and knock Ginny over!". But

it was too late to stop now. So, she took a deep breath and waited for the hit. But there was just the sensation of going through water without the

wetness. Then, she opened her eyes.


	4. Book 1 - Chapter 4

4 – Platform 9 and ¾ – Journey to a new world, new friendships

The new platform Megan and Ginny had entered had nothing in common with the one she had been standing on a few moments before.

"You okay, Ginny?" she asked.

"Yeah..."

She looked up. In front of her was a crowd of people. Some dressed in there robes, others in casual clothes. Some had owls, some were cradling cats...

it was really different from anything Megan had ever seen. Behind them was a large red steam engine with Hogwarts Express written on it, followed by

a long line of coaches.

"Wow..."

"You're a newcomer, aren't you, dear?" Ginny's mother said behind her.

"Yes... I just learned I was a witch a few days ago..." she admitted.

"Oh, it's Ron and Ginny's first time too, they'll be able to help you out. Won't you, dears."

"Sure."

"Oh, you better get on, the train will be leaving any moment."

Megan lugged her trunk towards the luggage coach. But when she tried to lift it into the car, she found it too heavy. Just then, she saw two hands by

her own lending her their strength the weight lessened and she was able to push it in. Then, she looked up at her providential helper.

"Thanks." she smiled.

He was a dashing young boy, a few years older than her, but with a friendly smile.

"You're welcome," he smiled back.

He hoped on and held out his hand to her. She smiled and took it. She climbed gracefully in and they exchanged a smile.

"Uh... Maybe I'll see you at school, then..." She said.

"Yeah."

They parted and Megan went in search of a compartment. She finally found one that was empty and sat down. She pulled out a hair band and plaited

her long hair. Then, she pulled out one of her school books and had just started looking through it when a tap on the door made her look up.

"Excuse me... d'you mind? Everywhere else is full..."

"No, please, come in." she said, indicating the seat opposite her.

He smiled gratefully and sat down. Megan then realised she knew him. It was Ron, the youngest son of the red-haired family she had met at the

station.

"I'm Ron Weasley, by the way," he said politely.

"I'm Megan Potter."

His eyes widened.

"No way...!"

"Sorry?"

"I mean... you...so it's true? You really have a scar?"

"Oh, that?"

She moved her fringe aside to reveal the lightning bolt on her forehead.

"Wow..."

Megan smiled, amused. No one had ever been amazed by her scar.

"Thanks again for the help, back on the station. I was lost."

"No problem."

Just then, the door opened again. This time, it was a girl Megan had never seen before.

"Have any of you seen a toad?" she asked a little curtly.

"No..."

"No, sorry." Megan apologised.

Then she spotted the book on Megan's lap.

"Have you tried any spells yet?"

"... Uh..."

That was a big no.

"I've mastered the most simple spells."

She sat down opposite Megan and pulled out her wand.

"_Reparo_."

Megan's jacket zip, which had broken, instantly returned to normal.

"Thank you," she said.

She just then realised Hermione was already in her school robes.

"I'm Hermione Granger," she introduced herself.

"I'm Ron Weasley."

"Megan Potter."

"Oh, I've heard all about you, of course."

Megan was a little taken aback by that. But before she could say anything, however, they were interrupted.

"Anything from the trolley, dears?" asked a voice.

They looked out at the elderly woman pulling a trolley full of all kinds of things Megan didn't know. But the coins in her pocket were itching to be spent so she got a little of everything.

"You sure don't look the kind to have a big appetite," Ron said.

Truth was, she had never had much to share, or anyone to share it with.

"Have some," she said.

Ron immediately caught hold of a licorice wand and started biting at it.

"Thankch," he said.

She smiled at him.

"Help yourself," she offered to the newcomer.

Hermione went for a Cauldron Pasty. Megan on the other hand, not knowing the first thing about any of these items, wasn't sure which to try first. She

finally picked up a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean.

"Oh, I'd watch out for those. They _mean_ every flavour." Ron warned her.

She picked one, and popped it into her mouth. She was lucky. It was brownie flavoured. Then, she tried a few other things, and all were quite cool in

there own way. Then, she turned to a chocolate frog.

"Oh, those are fun. You can collect the cards inside. Go on, see who you got. Can I have one, I'm missing some."

"Sure, go ahead."

She pulled the wrapper open and looked inside, catching the frog when it tried to jump away. She was amazed to see it looked exactly like a frog but

didn't feel like one at all. She bit into it and it tasted delicious. Then she looked at the card she had.

"I got Dumbledore!" she said.

"I have about six of him. Oh, drat, it's Morgana, I've got three already... Here, you can start collecting."

They soon got better acquainted. Ron was the next to youngest of a family of seven, and his twin brothers Fred and George often picked on him. He

was very impressed with Mira, who was curled up quietly by Megan's feet. His sister Ginny was the only girl, he told them, so she had to fight back a lot

harder than even he did. Hermione on the other hand, was, like Megan, an only child. But she never had minded because her parents had loved and

raised her well. Mentioning families and how parents could love their children made Megan look away. Her parents had loved her, she knew it. Only that

could have made them rush up to her room before even knowing what was up there. Only that could have made her father tell her mother to run with

her. And she didn't even remember anything about what they had shared for that too brief moment.

"...Oh... sorry," Hermione said, realising what their words were doing. "I guess this must be unpleasant..."

"No, it's okay. I didn't have time to know them that well, anyway."

She tried to sound detached, but it was fairly clear she wasn't okay at all. Just then, a girl with pale skin and a jet black bowl cut and grey eyes pulled

the door open and stared at Megan haughtily.

"What do you want?" Ron asked.

"You're the famous Megan Potter?"

"I guess," Megan answered coolly her eyes guarded. "Who are you?"

"Pansy Parkinson. But you can call me Lady."

Ron scoffed. She turned on him.

"What's your problem, Weasley?" she asked.

"You're no Lady."

She snorted. Mira who had been snoozing by Megan's feet, let out a low growl.

"Keep your mutt down!" Pansy ordered.

"Keep your tongue civil," Megan retorted curtly.

She and Pansy eyed each other for a moment. Then she turned and said:

"Hm. You're really not as incredible as they say you are."

And with that she left.

"Don't listen to her," Hermione said to Megan. "She's jealous because you're famous."

"I'd trade fame for my parents any day..." Megan said quietly.

Ron and Hermione exchanged an uncomfortable look. Glancing up, Megan caught it and had a soft smile. They were nice to worry like that.

"So, Ron, why isn't Ginny with you?" she asked.

"Oh, she went with some other girls that had offered her a seat with them." he said. "She'll be okay. Fred and George spend most of their time fooling

around, but they care about her and they wouldn't let anything happen to her."

Megan didn't know the twins yet so she took his word for it. It must be nice to know someone's looking out for you like that, she thought to herself. No

one had ever cared enough about her to do that...

"Have either of you ever read _Hogwarts a History_?"

Megan's head jerked up.

"I have... why?"

"Oh, it's only the greatest book ever!" she said.

Just then, they heard a loud thud. Megan looked up and peered out the window. Another boy who seemed like he was also a first year had been

shoved to the ground. A little ahead were three boys. Two were rather big thuggish boys with piggy eyes. The middle one was smaller with silvery

blond hair and a very snob expression. She immediately thought of Pansy. And, speak of the devil, there she was next to him. The boy on the floor was

different however. He was slightly chubby, had dark hair and eyes that were looking up in confusion.

"But my Gran gave that to me..."

"_But my Gran gave that to me_," mimicked the blond one in disdain. "We don't care, Longbottom."

"Hey!"

Megan had stepped out.

"Give him back what you took from him." she said.

"Well we don't want to, do we?"

"Grow up."

"Back off."

"Give him his property back."

It was a sort of glass ball.

"Okay, here."

And with that he threw it towards them. The boy squeaked but Megan swiftly threw herself onto the floor and caught the ball neatly in her hand. The

blond boy tried to kick her hand but she rolled over and in one swift, graceful movement, was back on her knees.

"I'll teach you to mess with things that don't concern you!" Malfoy growled.

"Hey!"

This time it was a new boy her age who wore glasses and had green eyes like her. He had caught Malfoy's wrist.

"Let go of me, Nelson!" he growled.

"What's the trouble here?"

Two elder students already wearing house insignias came out. Megan could see from the colour they were Ravenclaw.

"Nothing at all. Mr Malfoy and his friends were just leaving. Weren't you?" The green eyed boy said.

"... Yes."

He seemed to realise that getting into trouble before having even reached school wouldn't be very wise.

"C'mon." he ordered his minions away with him.

They left. The newcomers looked at Megan and Neville on the floor.

"What are you doing down there?"

"Uh... we were looking for Neville's glass ball," Megan said.

"Very well. No more mischief."

They returned to their compartment. The boy with green eyes held out his hand to Megan.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes... I just bumped my knee on the floor but that's all."

Then, she helped the other boy still on the floor to his feet.

"What did they want with you?" she asked. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm all right. Thanks for that neat save."

"What is this, anyway?"

"It's a remembrall. It tells you when you forget something, and I do it a lot so my Gran gave it to me."

"I see."

"Well, I better get back to my seat," he said.

Then, he left, leaving Megan with the other boy.

"Thanks for your help."

"My Dad works at the ministry and so does Malfoy's. So I know how to stand up to him. I'm Harry Nelson."

"I'm Megan Potter."

"I know. Your scar says it all."

She blushed slightly. She hadn't thought it was that obvious.

"Hey, have you seen a redhead with freckles? He'd be a first year too, probably with a load of other redheads."

"Ron Weasley?"

"Yes, d'you know him?"

"We met at the station. He's right here, come on in."

She opened the door of their compartment.

"Hello there, Harry," said Ron with a smile.

"Hi, Ron."

"Harry, this is Hermione Granger, and Hermione, this is Harry Nelson."

They soon got on well.

"You should change into your robes, we'll be arriving in a bit," Hermione said after a while.

The boys left the compartment so they could change on their end.

"It feels different than anything we ever experienced, doesn't it?"

Harry and Ron returned then and they both looked pretty good themselves. Ron had the symbol of something called Chudley Cannons and Harry had a

lion head on the sleeves. It was a little while before they finally slowed down at a station. Megan was about to follow Harry and Hermione down when

Neville tripped behind her and bumped into her. She would have fallen straight off the train if a firm grip hadn't caught her.

"Hey, careful, there!" A voice said.

"Sorry..."

She looked up, and gasped. He looked taken aback too.

"You again," he said, an amused smile on his lips.

"Thanks," she said, slightly embarrassed of the first impression she was giving.

"You're welcome."

He hopped down and held out his arms to help her down. Mira jumped down after them.

"Thank you. You must think I'm stupid..."

"No, you're just clumsy."

She nudged his elbow and they laughed.

"We didn't get a chance to introduce ourselves. I'm Cedric."

"I'm Megan."

She suspected he already knew but she appreciated that he didn't show it if he did.

"You a first year?" he asked.

"Yes... You're not though, are you?"

"I'm a third year." he said, smiling. "What gave me away?"

"Your robes. They already have the emblem of a house. Mine don't."

"Oh, good eye," he approved with a smile.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here, please! This way, firs'years!"

They looked up where the voice came from and saw something that made Megan's face light up.

"Hagrid?!"

As Cedric glanced at her, he saw how beautiful she was. Her smile made her entire face glow, and her eyes sparkled.

"You know him?" He asked, hoping his fluster didn't show too much.

"Yes, he told me that I was a witch." Megan answered. "He took me to Diagon Alley and he was a great help."

"Oh, I see."

"Sorry, I have to go."

She kissed his cheek swiftly, then realised what she had done, and blushed, before running off to join Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione who were

waiting for her.

"Okay, now, four to a boat, please, c'mon on!"

Megan heard a snigger behind her. She glanced backwards and saw three boys chortling as they walked by. One had silvery blond hair and a very

smug expression, and the other two looked more like his pet gorillas, the way they followed him around. She looked to the harbour they had reached,

and saw a load of row boats floating quietly on the water. She recognized Neville looking into the water. She took a few steps towards him.

"What are you looking at?" she asked curiously, bending slightly too.

"This is full of aquatic wildlife... I hope we get to study a bit of it in Herbology..." he said.

She guessed that was like Biology, but didn't ask. Just then, she saw the three boys from earlier walk behind them. They were eyeing Neville. She

quickly pushed him aside and the hand the chubby boy walking by the blond one meant to push Neville with hit her and she fell backwards into the

black water.

"Hey, wha's goin' on over there?" Hagrid asked, coming towards them.

Harry and Ron jumped forwards to help Megan up while the three boys guffawed loudly.

"She just slipped! How clumsy is that!"

"S... She did not slip!" Neville protested in a nervous voice. "You... You pushed her! You meant to push me but she got in between us!"

Megan got up, and even though she was dripping wet, She was still just as graceful as ever.

"Yeh all right, Megan?" Hagrid asked.

"Yes, I'm okay." she assured. "C'mon, Mira."

"Good. C'mon, then, everyone, show's over!"

A few minutes later, they were all seated in boats and heading across the lake. As they turned a corner, the castle came into view. And what a sight it

was. It had several towers, all higher than the last, all the windows lit, shining like the stars in the sky above. Megan had never seen anything like it.

There were drawings of the castle but she felt they weren't quite truthful. It was a thousand times more incredible. Luckily, it was still warm out, so she

wasn't cold despite being wet. They finally reached another harbour at the other side and disembarked. Harry held out his hand to help both her and

Hermione down while Ron hopped off. They then followed Hagrid up a set of stone steps. Megan didn't know what was in store for her at the top of

these steps, but it couldn't be worse than what she had left behind in England.


	5. Book 1 - Chapter 5

5 – The Sorting Ceremony

The inside of the castle was just what Megan had imagined from the descriptions in the book. The pictures with characters jumping from one to another,

the huge stone stair cases moving left and right, up and down... after climbing a few flights of stairs, they found themselves looking up at a figure at

the top of the stairs.

"Here are the firs' years, professor McGonagall." Hagrid announced.

She was a tall middle-aged woman with a very piercing look, but Megan was sure she wasn't as nasty as she looked. She wore a long set of emerald

green robes and a matching pointed hat with a feather at the tip of it. She had a certain elegance about her but different from Megan's innate grace.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I can take it from here."

He nodded, winked at Megan and went back down. She felt a pang, not knowing where to find him. As if he could read her thoughts, he added:

"I'll be a my cabin, in the grounds, if anyone needs me. C'mon Mira."

"Very well, Hagrid."

Megan's heart soared. He lived in the castle area too, so he would never be very far. She smiled at him, and he winked at her again. She felt relieved.

Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny all seemed friendly, but it was nice to have a familiar face around, even though she felt a slight pang at seeing Mira go.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, everyone." said Professor McGonagall. "You shall join the others soon, but before doing so, there are a few things to go

through with you. Now, you're aware that there are four houses in this school. And during the seven years you'll spend here, they will be like your

family. But remember this: What affects one affects all. Hard work will be praised by house points, rule breaking will cost you house points, and these

house points are collective. So if one person loses even one point, the whole house loses that same point."

A few glances were exchanged.

"There are a few rules we most firmly insist upon." McGonagall went on. "No students are allowed in another house tower except in case of an

emergency. No magic is permitted outside classrooms and _certainly_ not on another student. And the forest outside the school is forbidden to all

students. Now, wait here a moment and I'll come and get you."

She marched off. Megan was about to ask Hermione whether she had the same feelings as she did after having read Hogwarts a History when a voice

called her.

"Megan Potter?"

There were a few gasps and whispers. Megan looked up. It was the blond boy from earlier.

"Who wants to know?"

"I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."I think we got off on the wrong foot."

Megan held his stare coolly, her eyes guarded.

"How can I help you?" Megan asked politely.

"I was actually thinking how to help you. You don't want to go meddling with the wrong sort. I can guide you there."

He glanced pointedly at Ron and Ginny when he said "wrong sort". He held out his hand. Megan glanced at it and said coolly:

"I think I'll take a chance at telling the wrong sort for myself, thanks. I don't think names say very much about a person. It's always better to get to

know them. But some people are of the kind you don't want to get to know."

Malfoy's eyes narrowed. But he said nothing and walked off. Just then, Professor McGonagall arrived.

"They're waiting for you. Follow me."

A little hand grasped at Megan's, who froze a second in surprise. It was Ginny. Megan smiled and squeezed it. She was feeling terribly nervous herself,

but it was nice to think she wasn't the only one.

"It'll be fine." she said.

And they were off. Up the last few stairs and into hall.

The great Hall was incredible. Beautiful doors opened before them and as they entered, everyone gasped. There were five tables: Four lined up across

the room, each with either a lion, an eagle, a badger or a snake, which were, Megan guessed, were the four house tables, and a fifth over looking the

rest, which was where most of the teachers sat. Then, at the far end, she recognised Hagrid and beamed at him. He smiled and winked at her. She

smiled and looked around. The light was provided by hundreds of candles floating above their heads, and making the gold plates and goblets glisten.

But the most amazing feature was the ceiling, dark and twinkling with the thousands of stars high up there. She had read something about it in

_Hogwarts a History_ but the real thing was rather different. The first years gathered in front of the fifth table. Professor McGonagall stepped forwards and

stood behind a stool with a tattered old wizard's hat on it.

"Now, I shall call your name and you'll come here to sit on the stool, to be sorted into your houses. Hannah Abbot."

A young girl with long blond hair tied into a long plait stepped up. She sat down and McGonagall placed the old dusty hat on her head. Megan frowned

slightly, perplexed. Surely they didn't determine the house by how the hat fit someone...? Indeed they didn't. Just then, without professor McGonagall

touching it, the hat wriggled and came to life. Megan felt Ginny's hand tighten on her own. Megan put her free hand over hers.

"Hm... ah, yes. I know where you'll fit very nicely. Hufflepuff!"

She smiled and hopped off the stool before hurrying by a group of girls on the Hufflepuff table. Susan Bones was also made a Hufflepuff.

"Oh, so that's how they do it..." Ron said.

"Yeah, the hat's magical." Harry answered. "It tells you which house you're best suited for."

Soon, the students began going up and down the steps. Megan did agree it seemed simple enough, but would have felt more comfortable without

everyone watching. Some of them, the hat decided immediately. Others, he thought about it a little bit first.

"Granger Hermione."

She stepped up confidently.

"Ooh, I see. A bright mind, very bright. But courage, and determination. You'll be perfect in Gryffindor!"

She quickly stepped down for the next student to be sorted.

"Neville Longbottom."

The young boy who had accidentally bumped into her earlier stepped up, slightly uneasily. He sat down.

"Hm... a keenness in learning, hum, interesting... A lot of insecurity... hm... I think I know where you should go. Gryffindor!"

He managed to get down and to the table without falling. Megan gave him an encouraging smile. Draco Malfoy went to Slytherin. His sorting was quick.

The hat barely touched his head before shouted "Slytherin!" and he walked to join his classmates. He was smugly proud of his sorting, by the look of it.

The names went on. Finally, Ginny was called. She backed a little. Megan slowly released her hand and gently pushed her forwards. She was placed in

Gryffindor. Ron was next.

"Aah, another Weasley. I know what to do then. Gryffindor!"

Megan had wondered how they had both been born the same year while clearly not twins. But it turned out that they were, only not identical twins the

way Fred and George were. And Ginny hadn't been expected at first. Ron had told Megan his mother had only found out they were two several months

after. They both went to the table and sat down. Megan gave them a warm smile. Just behind the Gryffindor table was the Hufflepuff table. And her

eyes met Cedric's. And for a few seconds it was like all the rest had vanished. She could see nothing but his green eyes and friendly smile.

"Harry Nelson!"

He was also placed in Gryffindor. And it went on. One by one, the students were sorted. Finally, it happened.

"Megan Potter."

In two words the atmosphere changed dramatically. The respectful silence became expectant, eager. And Megan felt suddenly very nervous. She

glanced around her, not sure what she was looking for... and her eyes met Cedric's again. He nodded very slightly. Encouraging her. She knew it could

sound foolish to put your faith in someone you hardly knew, but she trusted him. And if he was confident, she could believe it. So, with her natural

grace that any model would die for, she stepped up to the stool and sat down. The hat slid onto her head and her sorting began.

"Hm... now this is difficult, very difficult... a heart full of strength and courage... a bright mind, too, I see... and talent, oh, yes, much talent. And a wish

to be accepted.."

Megan waited, her heart thumping. She wanted to look at Cedric but was afraid he would be uncomfortable or worse, think she was weird. So she

stared firmly ahead.

"But where to put you...?"

_Not Slytherin... Not Slytherin... Not Slytherin... Please... Not Slytherin..._

She wasn't sure why but she knew Slytherin was not where she would fit in.

"Are you sure? You could be extraordinary, they could help you to greatness! No? Oh, yes, I think I see where you'd be best placed..."

It stayed silent, gauging its effect. Megan dared not breathe.

"Gryffindor!"

Megan felt as if she had just let go of a heavy weight. She had been so scared of Slytherin, she wasn't sure why... she just had a bad feeling about

them. She gracefully stood up and handed the hat back to professor McGonagall, before heading to the table where Hermione, Ginny, Ron, Harry and all

the other Gryffindors were waiting.

"Welcome to Gryffindor, Megan!" Hermione greeted her.

"Thanks."

Those little words were the nicest anyone had ever said to her.

"Megan, pleasure to meet you, I'm Percy Weasley."

The tall red head Megan had seen that morning held out a hand.

"Oh, uh, likewise." Megan said, shaking it.

Hermione was about to say something when the tinkle of a knife on a glass brought their attention to the teacher's table.

"Your attention, please."

The elderly man with a long white bear and small spectacles stood up. Megan recognised him from her books. He was Albus Dumbledore, current

Hogwarts Headmaster. If anyone had an intimidating presence, he did. He was pretty much a living legend. He was said to be the most powerful wizard

in the world. Megan wondered why he was in a school for young wizards if that was the case.

"First, I would like to welcome you all to Hogwarts. Next, I would like to inform you that both the dark forest and the third floor corridor are out of

bounds to all students. Older students, kindly remember that as well. Please, dig in."

Megan frowned. They hadn't been brought anything. She looked round to the table and gasped. Trays of chips, sausages, chicken, pumpkin juice, pork

chops, ham, rice, potatoes, green beans, peas, carrots... all sorts had appeared on the table. She only then realised how hungry she was. She put a

little of anything she could reach on her plate. Everything was fabulous.

"Slow down, you look like you haven't eaten in weeks," Ron teased.

"Nothing like this," she said.

They talked and ate with much animation. Hermione was chatting away about how she couldn't wait to get started. Megan was a little less sure of

herself, but she had to admit she was pretty excited too. She just hoped she could at least not look too much like an idiot... but if this was anything like

her old schools, she figured there would probably be others with just as much difficulty as her.

When it was time for bed, they followed their Prefects to Gryffindor tower.

"Your things are already there, don't worry." Percy informed them.

They then reached a portrait of a fat lady wearing a large pink dress. She looked at Percy loftily and said:

"Password?"

"_Caput Draconis_." Percy said clearly.

She nodded and the portrait swung backwards to let them in.

"Whoa..."

"Now, do not divulge your password to anyone other than a Gryffindor and don't forget them. Or you could be stuck out here for a few hours."

They stepped into a large round room decorated in gold and red. The Gryffindor colours. There was a large chimney with a blazing fire. The wooden

floorboard were covered in thick rich red carpets.

"Now, boys dormitories are upstairs to your left, girls, same to your righ. Boys are not permitted there, however. Have a good night."

They separated. Ron and Harry waved goodnight to the girls who waved back.

"I don't ever want to leave if I get to eat like that every day," they heard Ron saying as they vanished up the stairs, making them laugh.

"I don't want to leave at all..." Megan whispered more to herself than anyone.

She felt more at home than she had in all her life at the Dursleys, that was for sure. She followed the other girls up the stairs to the dormitory. Several

were whispering. Megan had noticed quite a few Slytherin girls had sniggered.

"Why is it everyone seems to look at me...?" she asked.

"Because you're so pretty," Ginny said.

"Thanks, but I doubt it." Megan said laughing.

"I don't," Hermione said. "I think it's partly that. But you're right, I think the main reason is you're famous."

It was the weirdest feeling, being famous without really understanding why.

"... I wouldn't really have thought being an orphan was reason enough to be famous..." she said.

"It's the fact you survived," Hermione said. "Anyone who survived He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is obviously special."

Megan was left speechless by that simple comment. It was just that no one had ever called her special before. They then pulled the door to their

dormitory open and were all amazed. Large four-poster beds with thick scarlet curtains and gold lining stood in a circle, their trunks set at their feet,

and a large heater in the centre, presumably for winter. There were large windows between the beds with the curtains drawn. The room was stone.

Indeed, their trunks and Gryffindor garments such as a scarf, a hat, and a tie. Megan was both nervous and impatient for the following day. It was so

she wasn't sure she could get to sleep. But the long trip had tired her out, so she quickly pulled on her pyjamas and slid into bed. It was wonderfully

comfortable. She managed to lie on one elbow to look at Hermione.

"I'm glad we met, and you too, Ginny."

"Right back at you," Hermione smiled.

"I'm just glad I know someone besides my brothers here..." Ginny smiled.

They laughed and soon fell asleep.


	6. Book 1 - Chapter 6

6 – First lessons

The next day dawned bright. Megan was so jumpy she wasn't even sleepy when she got up. She quickly got dressed and looked out the window to admire the view. It would have been difficult in the dark. She slipped between the curtains and sat on the sill a moment. There was a large lake, which she guessed was the one they had crossed to get here. The sun shone brightly, even if it was still early. There were many trees around the castle, and she saw a small stone hut that stood near the edge of the forest she had heard about. It had to be Hagrid's... yes! There he was! Walking Fang and Mira!

"Morning."

Megan jumped.

"Oh... sorry. Morning, Hermione."

"Boy, you really are jumpy, huh?" Hermione said, as she rose too.

"Yes... I'm torn between fear and excitement." She admitted.

They were soon ready, Ginny following, and they headed down to the common room.

"Ron, Harry!" Hermione called.

Indeed, they were there, just heading to the hallway leading to the entrance of the common room from the fat lady's portrait.

"Sleep well?" Harry asked, holding a hand out to Ginny as they went down the few steps between them.

"Wonderfully. You?"

"Same here. It's nothing like my brothers described, it's ten times better!"

"I agree, except my source was a book." Megan said.

"Oh, no, not another bookworm, we've got Hermione for that already," Ron teased.

They laughed and set out. Megan had never felt more comfortable.

Most students weren't there yet when they arrived in the Great Hall. Classes weren't for another hour, so they spent their breakfast talking about their first impressions, and a little about themselves. Megan tried to answer honestly, but she didn't like going into the details. It was still too painful. And also, she was still waiting to see if this wasn't a dream. She was so used to her life with the Durlseys, a change had seemed almost impossible. But now, she had finally been given a chance to live her life on her own terms. But just to be absolutely sure...

"Hermione, pinch me, would you?"

"What? Why?"

"I'm worried I'm still dreaming."

Slightly confused, she obliged nonetheless. Megan winced, and then, looked around.

"It's real. Now I can relax." she said.

Hermione looked at her a little concerned.

"Uh... are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I just couldn't bare if this was just a dream."

A little later, Megan and her friends got to their feet and headed to the Entrance Hall. They wanted to get off early to avoid getting late by being lost. As they were leaving the Great Hall, someone called her name.

"Hey, Megan! Hold on!"

She turned around and was surprised to see Cedric hurrying towards her. She felt herself flush slightly.

"Oh, hi, Cedric," she said. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. Congrats on making Gryffindor," he smiled. "Though, Hufflepuff would have been happy to have you."

"I know," she smiled back.

"Oh, I'm sorry, these are my friends Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ginny."

"Your dads work at the Ministry, right? Nelson and Weasley?"

"That's right."

"And this is Cedric Diggory, you guys. I met him at the station, too."

She turned back to Cedric.

"Was something wrong?" she asked.

"No, nothing. I just know how nervous I was on my first day and wanted to wish you luck and tell you not to worry if you made a mistake. We all do sometimes, right?"

"That's so nice of you," Megan said.

"Hey, Cedric! Come on, we'll be late!"

"Be right there!" he called. "Well, you heard, duty calls. I'll catch you later."

"Bye, have a good first day."

"You too."

He waved and walked off. And so, they headed off to their first ever class as wizards at Hogwarts: Charms.

The charms teacher was a tiny little wizard with white hair and a wrinkled face named Flitwick. Megan's first impression was that he was a very cheerful, friendly wizard, and he got all excited when, while doing the register, he noticed Megan's name.

"Oh, what an honour it is to have you here, Miss Potter, truly, it is!"

Everyone turned to look at her of course, making her flushed. But she had to admit it was nice to be shown up for a good reason for once.

"Uh... thank you, sir..." she said, slightly embarrassed and glad they weren't sharing the room with the Slytherins.

After he'd gotten over his excitement, he finished the register and proceeded to teaching them the first thing a beginner wizard learned: Levitation.

"Levi-what?" a boy called Seamus asked.

"Levitation, my boy," Flitwick said patiently. "That is to say, making objects, or sometimes people, fly. Now, this is quite simple but does require a fair amount of concentration."

"Why can't it just be called flying?" Seamus grumbled.

"Because flying is quite a bit more complex and difficult to achieve," Flitwick answered.

They didn't practice spell casting just yet. They practised their diction of the spells, which Professor Flitwick insisted was very important, if you didn't want to have a completely different result. But when the bell went, and they all gathered their things to leave for their next class, Megan was happy. She had seen people with even Ron's lineage of wizards stumble over the words. But she, a musician and reader at heart, had found no problem at all. Hermione, who was born to a Muggle family, had succeeded with flying colours too. They walked out towards their next class.

"I can't wait to start using magic," Hermione was saying excitedly.

"Me neither, but I hope I don't look like too much of a fool..." Megan said.

"You won't, you saw us back there, both of you grew up with Muggles and you did better than the rest of us! That just proves lineage means nothing." Ron said.

Next was potions class. This took place in one of the dungeons. It was dark and damp down there, but their cauldrons kept them warm.

"I am here to teach you the subtle art of potion making," Potions teacher Severus Snape said in a cold soft voice. "Now... let's see how much I can hope to teach you in the time you'll be here..."

He looked around. Megan saw Neville quiver slightly when Snape looked his way. Then his eyes fell upon her, and she held his gaze politely but firmly.

"Ah... Miss Potter. Our new celebrity."

There was a silence as everyone watched.

"Tell me, what is the result of mixing asphodel and wormwood?"

Megan had been quite intrigued by the potions book so she knew a fair bit of what was in it.

"It makes a very strong sleeping potion, but the wormwood needs to be infused."

"Correct. And where would you look to find a Bezoar?"

"Inside the stomach of a goat."

"What is it used for?"

"It cures most poisons." Megan answered.

They watched each other, barely noticing that everyone was holding their breath. Would he snap? He seemed the type who punished easily.

"Correct. Five points for Gryffindor."

Hermione beamed at her. It was clear she had had the right answers too. Ron and Harry though, looked at her in amazement.

"You said you grew up with Muggles!" Ron said after they had left the classroom.

"I did," she assured. "But when I got my books, I was so eager to learn I read them cover to cover. So I picked up a few things on the way."

"Oh, I agree, they're so interesting," Hermione said.

The boys exchanged a look.

Since the students weren't always there at the same time at breakfast, the post came in at lunchtime. Swoops of owls soared in silently.

"Whoa!" Megan gasped as she watched them fly to their owners. "Hello, Hedwig."

"This is how we get our post." Harry explained. "Beats opening a silly mailbox."

Megan smiled and stroked her soft feathers and gave her a small piece of bacon. Hedwig let out an appreciative hoot, gave Megan a gentle nip on the finger and flew off with the other birds to the owlery.

"She's beautiful", Harry said as she soared off.

"Yes, isn't she? Hagrid got her for me."

"Wish I had an owl..." Ron groaned. "All I've got is Scabbers, and he's useless."

Scabbers was Ron's rat, and he was, indeed, fairly inactive. He was already a middle aged rat, having belonged to Percy, who was four years older than Ron.

"You know that you, Ginny, Fred and George are welcome to use her when you want to," Megan offered.

"Thanks..."

He didn't say it, but Megan knew he was thinking it just wasn't the same.

"Harry, you have an owl, don't you?"

"Yes, Halon. He's in the owlery too, I expect."

They finished their breakfast and went off. They had their first transfiguration class, and Megan's impression of McGonagall that she was not one to mess about with was proved true. She was strict, and clever, and one of the first things she told them in the class was:

"Transfiguration is a difficult, dangerous branch of magic, and requires commitment and concentration. So anyone messing around in my class will leave and not return."

And they had taken notes for nearly an hour before they were allowed to try turning a match into a needle. Hermione, of course, succeeded in her first try. Surprisingly, Megan was triumphant first time too. Harry was close enough to squeeze through after a few tries, but Ron took a little longer.

"I don't get it, why do spells work with some and not others?" he asked.

"That depends on the concentration you put into it. Here, try again, but really try."

With a flick of her wand, his needle returned to a match. He took a deep breath, and pronounced the spell. This time, his needle flashed silver and pointy.

"Very good, Weasley. See what one can do when they put their mind into it."

The class ended soon after that and they were all fascinated.

"I can't wait to try bigger spells!" Hermione was saying excitedly

"I'm more interested in Defence against the dark arts." Harry said.

Megan didn't have a preference, she wanted to learn as much as possible, and she and Hermione often discussed books. Ron called them know-it-alls, but Harry countered that they very well might need that knowledge someday. What Harry and Megan were looking forward to was flying. But their excitement was dampened slightly when they found out they would be learning with the Slytherins.

"Great... more reason for Malfoy to laugh at me..." Megan sighed.

"Cheer up, you'll still get to fly." Harry said, squeezing her shoulder.

She watched the owls float off, then looked at Hermione, who was reading the Daily Prophet, the wizard newspaper. She caught the front headline and her heart skipped a beat. She waited as patiently as she could for Hermione to put it down, because it was rude to take something someone else was reading, but luckily it was soon.

"Hermione, can I borrow that?"

"Go ahead."

She pulled it to her and opened it at the page she wanted.

GRINGOTTS BREAK IN LATEST:

_More news about the spectacular feat that occurred last week in Gringotts Wizard Bank in London, England. A high security vault has indeed been broken into, an unprecedented in Gringotts History, bank managers assure. The theft attempt, however, was unsuccessful. Indeed, the vault had been emptied earlier that very day, so, Gringotts staff insist, nothing was taken, and all other property is as safe as before. They would not disclose the nature of the target of the robbery, but it was attested today that there would be reinforced security just in case._

Megan stayed frozen in shock. Last week... she had been in Gringotts that day! It was the day of her birthday! Had the robbery occurred during their visit to Gringotts? What had they tried to take...? Wait a minute... that little package Hagrid had taken from a high security vault! Could it have been that? He hadn't told her what it was but it couldn't be a coincidence... could it...?

"Megan? Megan, you all right?"

She snapped back to reality.

"Yes, sorry... I was uh... just thinking about something. Thanks Hermione."

Even though she was nervous at flying for the first time with Malfoy around, Harry was right, Megan thought as they made their way to the pitch a little later. She wouldn't let Malfoy spoil her enjoyment.

Madame Hooch was a brisk woman with very short spiky grey hair. In front of her, were two rows of broomsticks.

"Welcome to your first flying lesson." she greeted them. "Now, flying when inexperienced can be very dangerous, so I will ask you to listen to me and do exactly as I say. Understood?"

"Yes, madam Hooch." a chorus of voices answered.

"Good. And consider yourself warned, any disobedience will be severely punished. Now. First, stand next to a broom, hold out your right arm straight above it, like so, and say "Up"."

Megan held out her arm and said in a clear voice:

"Up!"

Her broom soared up and she grasped it tightly. Harry, beside her, had been successful too. They exchanged a smile. Then, she glanced at Hermione, whose broom seemed recalcitrant to move at all, and Ron, who was smacked in the face by his broom.

"Shut up, Harry!" He grumbled as Harry laughed.

To Megan's surprise, Malfoy's broom soared up into his hand too. Although she had been even more surprised to see the broom fly into her own hand, given she'd never consciously called upon the magic in her before. Finally, everyone had their broom in hand. So, Madam Hooch said:

"Very good. Now, this is the tricky part. Flying. So I want you to do exactly as I say. If you don't want a broken neck."

Megan couldn't help gulping. She was sure that Madam Hooch wouldn't let them get too badly hurt but there was only so much she could do.

"And on my whistle and only on my whistle, you will kick off the ground hard, hover a few feet and lean forwards slightly to get back to the ground. Any questions?"

There were none.

"Very well, then. On my whistle!"

But before she had touched it to her lips, Neville accidentally kicked off, and shot upwards.

"Neville!"

"Lonbgbottom, come back down here!"

"Help!" he screamed, terrified, clinging to the broom for dear life.

But the broom was being confused by Neville's contradictory movements, and it rocketed sideways, before finally hitting a stone wall and sending Neville to the ground.

"Neville!"

Megan, Madame Hooch and most of the Gryffindors dashed forwards to his side. He moved slightly. Madame Hooch felt a few spots on his body.

"You were very lucky, son, just a broken wrist."

She pointed her wand at his wrist and said:

"_Episkey_."

A brace and bandages appeared around his wrist and she helped him up.

"Now, none of you is to move until I get back."

Megan, who had been crouching beside Neville, was about to take Harry's hand to stand up, when she spotted something twinkling in the grass. She held out a hand to pick it up, but Malfoy was faster. He snatched it up and looked at it.

"That's Neville's!" Megan said, recognising it.

It was a glass ball. It had a golden ring around it. The one Neville had been bothered over on the train. It was his brand new Remembrall, which was useful to him as he often forgot things.

"Oh, is it? Then, maybe I'll keep it."

"Give it here, Malfoy." she said coolly, stepping forwards.

But he just tossed it into his other hand.

"I don't want this stupid thing anyway." He said. "I think I'll put it somewhere that idiot can get it from."

He looked upwards and smiled. Then, he raised a leg over his broom and kicked off. He had obviously flown before. Megan bit her lip and made up her mind. She rose her leg and slid it over her broom.

"Megan, don't! You'll get into such trouble, and you don't even know how to fly!" Hermione was saying.

But Megan ignored her and kicked off. She soared upwards, and it seemed like instinct. She was soon level with Malfoy, who was looking slightly less comfortable, all of a sudden.

"Give it here, Malfoy, or I'll knock of your broom!"

"Oh, really?"

His sneer did seem a little forced. He turned slightly and said:

"Your call, then."

And with that he tossed the Remembrall as hard and far as he could. Megan darted forwards, instinctively leaning ahead to gain speed. The Remembrall was speeding towards the castle tower ahead. Megan sped on, and managed to yank it to safety and spin to the left to avoid hitting the wall herself. She smiled to herself and sighed in relief, before leaning forwards slightly to head back to the ground. The Gryffindors cheered. The Slytherins glared.

"Amazing, Megan!" Harry called.

She landed and smiled at him.

"Megan Potter!"

Megan froze. Professor McGonagall's voice rang louder than any canon. She turned round, uncertainty in her eyes.

"Follow me."

Hermione took her broom for her and Megan followed in silence. She had know idea what Professor McGonagall was going to do, but she had no doubt she was in trouble...

McGonagall led her down to the hall where the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom was. Then, McGonagall told her to wait there.

"Excuse me, Professor Quirrell, could I borrow Wood?"

"Oh, certainly."

Instead of the stick she was envisioning, Megan saw a young man stand up and cross the room towards them.

"This way, you two."

Megan and Wood exchanged a slightly puzzled look, but followed nonetheless. At least ge was a follow Gryffindor. He was older than her by about four years. They ended up in an empty classroom and she turned to the both of them.

"Potter, allow me to introduce you to Oliver Wood. Wood, I believe you know Potter already?"

"Yes, Professor. It's a pleasure, Megan."

"Likewise," she smiled and shook his hand.

She still had no idea what was going on, but he seemed friendly enough.

"Good. Now here's what I wanted to talk you about. Wood, I have found you a Seeker."

Megan blinked, confused. Wood, however gasped.

"What? You're sure, professor? That would be amazing!"

"I'm dead sure. She caught that thing at an incredible speed, without a single scratch!"

Megan was a little lost. Ron had long since filled her in on a great deal of things in the wizarding world, and she had read about Quidditch in her books but... She had never thought she would ever actually play it...

"I'll speak to Dumbledore about the first year rule. Gryffindor needs a good team. Potter, I want to know you're training hard, understood?"

Megan only then realised she had just made the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"Uh... yes, of course... but so... does this mean I'm not expelled?"

"Of course not, why?"

"... Well... uh... Madam Hooch..."

"Will understand the situation. Wood, I'll be counting on you to work with her?"

"Oh, of course, professor..."

And he started turning around Megan, making her uneasy.

"Perfect build, too, small, thin, light... She'll need a descent broom, though."

"I'll discuss it with Dumbledore." McGonagall said. "Very well, then, now that's settled, you may leave. Back off to class, both of you."

Megan was still slightly lost when she was telling the others about it that evening. Ron couldn't believe it.

"But first years never make the house team," he was saying in an excited voice. "They're not even allowed a broom!"

"Hush, Ron, we're supposed to be keeping it quiet!" Megan hushed him.

Ron's brothers Fred and George hurried over to them.

"Congratulations, newbie," Fred said in a low voice.

"Thank you," she smiled.

"Wood filled us in. Slytherin won't know what hit them." George said.

Megan was touched they accepted her so easily without even knowing what she could do. She didn't even have a single idea either. But she was eager to start training. Maybe being on the team would get people to see her in a different way than just "the girl who survived the bad wizard". She wasn't proud of outliving her parents. She missed them more and more as time passed, especially know she knew the exact truth about how they had died. They had fought to save her... she wished she could see them again... just once... to tell them how much she valued their sacrifice, even though she felt it wasn't worth it. She sometimes felt she would have been better dying with them. She was just thinking about that when she crossed eyes with Cedric, who was just looking her way. They smiled at each other. Maybe it was worth it a little bit.

"You and Cedric seem like you get along," Hermione observed.

"He just helped me out with some stuff, no big deal..."

Hermione let it go, but Megan could tell she didn't believe it.

That night, Megan had another nightmare. The same as before, even more vivid this time, with a loud scream and the blinding strength of the infamous green light. She woke up with a start, panting and sweating. After checking to see she hadn't woken anyone, she let out a deep sigh. Why couldn't she stop having that dream? She decided to go clear her head for a bit. She got up and sat by the window, leaning against the glass pane. Mira, who had been allowed in the dormitory for a few nights, slipped her cool damp nose under her fingers and licked her hand. The stars twinkled in the sky. The moon was beautiful, that night. Megan couldn't remember the last time she had seen it shining quite so bright. It was soothing. A song from her happy times came back to her lips.

"_Safe and sound.._

_I'll keep you safe and sound._

_Never fear,_

_I'm here_

_To guide you through the dark._

_Wake up your inner spark.._

_Spread your wings and fly,_

_Never let the stars leave your eyes..."_

"Are you okay? You look terrible." Ron said the following morning.

"'I'm okay, I just... had a nightmare..."

"I thought I heard you last night. It seems to have shaken you something awful," Hermione said.

"Oh, not really..." Megan said, trying to smile. "It's just I've had it before and it's even more vivid now..."

"What's the dream about?" Ron asked.

Megan hesitated. She didn't feel like talking about it, to be honest.

"It's okay, if you don't want to tell us. Just know we're here if you need us," Harry said.

"Thanks." she said, feeling a little better.

They had charms that morning, so Megan was able to put her nightmares aside for a little while. They were learning the Summoning Charm. Hermione, of course, was successful. Seamus on the other hand, almost knocked Megan out with the book he was supposed to summon, but instead had sent zooming the other way somehow. She didn't have time to duck and was hit in the forehead, causing her to fall off her seat and onto the floor.

"Oh, dear, oh dear, Mr Finnigan, do be more careful!" Flitwick said. "Are you all right, Miss Potter? Should we take you to the hospital wing?"

"No, no, that's okay, sir." She said as Harry helped her up.

She, however, flawlessly got her book to speed towards her and into her hand.

"Very good work, today, miss Potter!" He said, as the students left. "Your mother was an excellent charm caster herself!"

"You taught my mother, professor?"

"Yes, indeed, young lady." he said. "A joy she was to teach, too. Your father was quite interesting too, but perhaps a little more mischievous. Now, hurry along, we all have work to do."

They hurried off to Herbology, Megan's head ringing with Flitwick's words. He had known his parents... Probably most of the teachers had. She would have to ask Hagrid more about them, when she had the chance.

The chance was given to her that very afternoon. That very day, at lunch time, Hedwig dropped a long thin package on her table and another owl dropped a note on her lap. She began with that.

_Dear Megan,_

_I know you have this afternoon off, so how about you come down to my cabin with your new friends for a cuppa'? I want hear all about your first week. And Mira's lonely too. Just send Hedwig with an answer._

_Best regards,_

_Hagrid._

"Thanks, Hedwig," she said and stroked her back.

Megan borrowed Hermione's quill and wrote on the back of the note:

_Would love to, see you later._

_Love, Megan._

"I've been wanting to meet him," Harry said. "He was the one you said brought you here, isn't he?"

"He told me I was a witch, and how to get here, anyway." She said. "I had no idea until he came along."

"What? You mean your aunt and uncle didn't tell you?"

"They did all they could to stamp it out of me. With little result, of course."

"... But why would they do that?"

"They hate anything out of the ordinary." she said.

Just then, she recognised Wood coming up towards them. He stood by the Weasley twins, so as to not look like he was talking to Megan. They instantly caught the point and didn't look at him to further the illusion, but listened.

"Are you free this evening at six? I would like to see what you can do." He asked in a low voice.

"Yes, of course," Megan said, barely louder.

"Want someone to catch you if you fall?" George teased.

Megan laughed. It was one thing from them, it would have been different from someone else. But they were too nice to be really nasty.

"I think I can handle it." she said, still smiling.

"See you on the pitch at six sharp, then," he said.

"Right."

They exchanged a look and he walked off. Ron, Harry and Hermione looked at her slightly confused. She leaned forwards and said in a whisper:

"He wants to keep me a secret, since I'm the first Seeker of my age in a century."

"Yes, that makes perfect sense. And the first match is against Slytherin, next November," said Harry.

Megan was already nervous enough... what if she was not good, what if Wood took one look at her and realised he'd made a mistake?

"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Ron said.

Megan then turned to the note on the package.

_Do not open this at the table. First years aren't allowed a broom as you know, and we would rather everyone didn't know you have this, or they'll all want one. I hope you take your training seriously, the way your father did. Best of luck._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall._

"Your Dad was on the team? You never said anything about that?!" Ron said.

"... I didn't know..." she said in a pained voice.

The fact that her parents weren't there was painful enough. But this had made Megan see once again that she barely knew anything about them... that was hard to deal with. She didn't even know which she looked like. Did she have her father's nose, her mother's face? She had no idea...

"Did I say something...?" Ron asked, looking uncomfortable.

"No, I'm fine."

She forced a smile. She didn't want to sound whiny, so she didn't tell them that she wished she knew where she could find out more about them, or at least a picture... The only thing that she had that reminded her of her mother was the lullaby, her bracelet and her pendant. And she didn't have a thing of her father's... it almost felt like... like being nobody. Not that she wasn't used to similar, but... she had hoped that would be different here. She finally turned to her package.

"I'll head to the common room to open this," she told them.

"We'll go with you." Hermione said.

And they did. It was a long thin package, which she carried out and into the common room. They still had half an hour before their next lesson, so they sat down comfortably on cushions on the floor. Then, slightly nervous, Megan pulled the paper off. A shiny mahogany handle broomstick with a neat set of twigs at the end, and two metal bars to put your feet against fell into her lap. There was a handle to grip on, probably to prevent slipping if the weather was bad.

"Wow! That's a beautiful broom!" Hermione said.

"It's more than a broom, it's a Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron gasped in awe.

Megan could tell he would have loved the money to buy one. She would have been more than happy to give it to him, but... if she wanted to even try and play Quidditch, she would need a broom.

"That's the best there is!" Harry said. "You'll be unbeatable on that."

After lunch, they went up to the common room to wrap up a piece of homework so they could relax over the weekend, and even though she was glad of the prospect of visiting Hagrid, she wasn't sure she could ask him about her parents yet.

"Oh, hi, there. Just a sec... gotta get Fang outta the way... Fang, back!"

He finally let them in and Megan introduced them. When Mira saw her, she jumped to her.

"Hi, Mira! I missed you too."

"Ah, she's been finding it a little difficult with ol' Fang. He's no' a bad mutt, just a little overenthusiastic."

Fang was a large black boar hound Mira was eyeing suspiciously.

"So, how're ye finding life at Hogwarts?" he asked as he poured tea.

"It's really different from anything I've ever known," Megan said. "But in a good way. I feel great."

"Good. How about you?"

"The classes are fascinating, except flying, perhaps..." Hermione said.

"Oh, come on, that's the best!" Harry said.

"You're just saying you don't like it because you can't learn it off by heart." Ron teased.

"Now, come on, don't be mean, we all got our differences." Hagrid said.

"Speaking of, Megan made the team!" Ron said excitedly.

"Ron, that's supposed to be secret until the next match!" Harry exclaimed.

"Besides, I won't be on the team until Wood gives his green light, so I'm not actually there yet," Megan reminded.

"Don't ye worry, I won't tell a soul." Hagrid said. "I can't wait ter see the look on them Slytherin faces when you beat them!"

"... How d'you know I'll beat them?" Megan asked. "I've never even played Quidditch!"

"Because plenty of people who grew up as Muggles became very good players themselves," Harry answered.

"Exactly. Plus they're so full o' themselves they won't watch out fer ye."

Megan wished she could share their confidence. But she supposed she would just have to wait and see what tonight's training session brought out.

Mira and Fang seemed to finally get acclimated to each other and lay side by side on the floor by their owners' feet. They told Hagrid about their impressions. How Snape didn't seem to like Megan for some reason, to which Hagrid answered he didn't like anyone really.

"Never been much of a social bloke, Snape. I wouldn't worry meself about it."

"I guess you're right, Megan agreed."

"And are they givin' yeh much homework?"

"Not really. But magic is very different from what I expected." Megan said.

"Ah, that's cos yeh've grown up with the wrong idea of it," Hagrid said. "It's a lot more difficult than just saying the words o' the spell. A lot o' mental work that goes with it, see."

"And she'd not even been here a few days that she's already found a boyfriend!" Harry teased.

"Eh?" Was' is about?"

"Cedric is not my boyfriend, Harry, cut it out!" Megan said, flushing. "We're friends."

"Cedric? Tha' wouldn't be Amos Diggory's kid, would it?"

"Yeah, why?"

"He's a good kid. Not surprised yeh hit it off."

Megan thought about that. It made sense, after all, she said to herself as she stroked Mira's head, resting on her lap, otherwise, anyone could do magic. It was best that only some people were predisposed for it. Of course, just like anywhere, there were good people and bad people. But she believed that one couldn't appreciate the good aspects of life, if you didn't have the bad.

At five, they left Hagrid and headed up the Gryffindor Common room to pick up her broom. It was light and fit perfectly to her grasp, as if it had been made for her. She admired it a moment and then, they headed down to the Quidditch Pitch.

"We're not allowed in the pitch," Harry said. "But best of luck."

And to Megan's surprise, he leaned forwards and put his arms around her for a few seconds. She hugged him back, and smiled.

"See you later."

The training pitch was empty when she arrived. She was impatient to try her broom, so she slid her leg gracefully over it and kicked hard off the ground. She soared upwards, the wind wiping through her robes and hair, which she had let loose. She did a few circles, leaning downwards or upwards, or turning around. Just then, she heard a voice call her name.

"Megan! Down here!"

She looked down. It was Wood. Blushing, she hurried downwards and hopped off perfectly.

"Very nice. You're really a natural. You sure you've never flown before?"

"Absolutely." she said.

"Okay. D'you know anything about Quidditch?"

"Well, I know that it's a really popular game and the rules. But I've never really seen a game or anything."

"Okay. Let's see how well you know the game. What's this?"

Megan then noticed the large crate beside him. He opened it and pulled out a large red ball.

"That's the ball you score with. The... the... Chasers throw it to each other and put it through hoops to score. Right?"

"Yes. D'you remember it's name?"

"That's the Quaffle!" she said.

"Very good. And what about these bad boys?"

Megan looked at where he was pointing.

'Are those the Bludgers?!" Megan said, amazed.

"Yes, they are," he answered approvingly. "Now, I'll show you exactly why they're called that."

He unlatched the bindings on one of the two balls and it shot immediately up into the air. Megan watched as it zoomed around trying to find something to knock. Then, it zoomed towards them. Megan, not sure what to do, only narrowly avoided being pelted by the beast as Wood shouted:

"Careful!"

Pulling her aside, he then leaped onto the ball and managed, not without difficulty, to wrestle it back into the crate. Then, he stood up.

"See? But you shouldn't need to worry too much about those two buggers. The Weasley twins are our Beaters, which are?"

"The two players who knock the bludgers away from their team," Megan said.

"Excellent. Now which is the most important one among the three?"

"None. The Snitch is."

"Very good, you saw my trap." Wood said approvingly. "We won't try with it today, we may loose it. We'll see what you can make of these."

He pulled out a bag of golf balls, and they got onto their brooms. And he spent the next hour throwing them in different directions, different speeds, as hard as he could or just tossing it ahead of him. Megan didn't miss a single one.

"Those darn Slytherins won't know what hit them!" Wood said excitedly, as they climbed off their brooms.

"You really think I'm good enough?"

"Yes, definitely." he assured her. "Welcome to the team, Megan."

He shook her hand, and she smiled warmly.

"First practice Thursday at six."

"Got it." Megan said.

They parted and Megan met Ron, Harry and Hermione who were waiting to hear the verdict.

"I'm in," she said with a wide smile.

"Great! Congratulations!" Harry said.

"Yes, congratulations!"

"Yeah, now you'll have something more to beat Malfoy at!"

"He's not on the team," Megan reminded, smiling.

"No, but he's in Slytherin." Ron said.

They laughed and headed to the Great Hall for dinner.


	7. Book 1 - Chapter 7

7 – Slytherin Versus Gryffindor

Quidditch practice took a lot of Megan's after class time, but she was still able to keep good marks. She barely noticed that it was already Halloween until Ron reminded her

that morning.

"Oh, yeah, and they decorate the Great Hall, and there's a Halloween feast and everything." he was saying.

Megan was happy to have that to look forward too. She thought back at all the Halloweens she had had at the Dursley's. They had mainly consisted in Nathalie bringing home

heaps of candy and thrusting them under her nose. The day was as normal as it could be at Hogwarts, except for Peeves the Poltergeist who was always trying to think of

new ways to scare people. However, things went a little awry after Charms. They had been working on Levitation, and had to make a feather rise from their desk. Megan had

succeeded with more ease than she had thought, and Harry had managed, even though he had not been able to lift it quite as high. Ron's feather, however, refused to lift.

"You're saying it wrong," Hermione was telling him.

"I'm not! Look, it's _Wingardium Leviosa_!"

"Yes, but you're not stressing the right syllable. It's _Wingardium_ _Levi_o_sa_."

Ron didn't seem happy at being corrected.

"Go on, you do it, then, if you're so clever."

She flicked her wand at her feather and said in a clear voice:

"_Wingardium Leviosa_."

Her feather rose higher than Megan's, and hers had been the highest yet. Hermione had something to ask Professor Flitwick after Charms, so Megan, Harry and Ron headed

out ahead of her. But Ron was still angry at her for what he saw as showing off.

"It's Levi_o_sa_,_ not levios_aa_, she says," he was complaining as they headed to Herbology. "She's so full of herself!"

Someone knocked his shoulder. He was about to say something, but Megan nudged him hard in the ribs.

"I think she heard you." She said. "Ron, that was rather unfair to say. She was trying to help."

"Well, maybe but... she was awfully bossy about it," he said, uncomfortably.

They didn't see Hermione in Herbology, a few minutes later. Nor was she in Transfiguration afterwards. Megan had another Quidditch practice, but it was raining outside.

"Oh, I wouldn't like training in this weather,..." Harry said.

"Wood's orders," Fred said. "C'mon, George. Megan?

"Right behind you." Megan said.

They tended to leave at different times so the others, in particular the Slytherins, wouldn't see them together and get suspicious. It was very wet. Megan was drenched in

minutes, and the rain was heavy so they charmed a golf ball, instead of risking the snitch.

"Wood, we can't train in this!" George complained.

A large rumble of thunder answered before Wood could.

"Yes, we can." He said, ignoring it. "Because if it turns out this bad on our first match, we'll have the advantage."

"But Wood, we'll never be able to play if we're all sick with pneumonia," Chaser Katie Bell said.

"That's nothing Madam Pomfrey can't handle," he said.

So they continued. Megan was speeding around, looking for the ball. Then, she saw it. Speeding forwards, she suddenly swerved upwards.

"Sorry, Fred!" she said, seeing her team mate at last. He had been hidden by the rain and she had almost hit him.

"That's okay. Great reflexes." he said, zooming ahead.

A little later, Wood finally realised the weather was just too bad and they were allowed to get back inside. The feast was about to start anyway. At the feast, she was still

nowhere to be seen. Megan, getting worried, turned to Neville.

"Neville, have you seen Hermione?"

He looked a little worried too.

"Parvati said she locked herself in the girls' bathroom on the second floor. She told me she'd been there all afternoon."

Megan turned to Ron.

"What?" "You hurt her feelings," she said. "When she comes back, I suggest you apologise."

"All right, all right."

Just then, as they were talking about heading there with some food for her, the main door flew open and professor Quirrell came running in, white faced and wide-eyed.

"TROLL!"

There was a hush as he darted up the room, to the staff table.

"Troll in the dungeons! Troll in the dungeons!" He panted for a second, gasped: "Thought you ought to know..."

And fainted.

There was uproar. Everyone looked around trying to push through to the door. Megan grabbed hold of Ginny's hand and held it tight. But Dumbledore's voiced boomed and

silenced them.

"SILENCE!"

When everyone had calmed down, he said in a calm voice:

"Prefects, take the students back to your house common rooms. Teachers, will you please accompany me to the dungeons."

Percy called out for order and took the lead. Megan and the others stayed behind, making sure some others weren't left behind. Then, they hurried after the others.

Suddenly, one foot on the steps, Megan stopped dead, wide-eyed.

"Oh, no!"

"What?"

"Hermione! She has no idea about the troll!" Ron bit his lip.

"We better not be seen by Percy or he'll have our throats."

They doubled over and hurried back the other way after the Hufflepuffs, before taking a right to the girls' toilet.

The door was closed and Megan was about to open it when a low groan reached their ears. Pulling the boys back into a corner, they hid and waited. "Is that... the troll?" she

asked, trying to keep her heart rate steady.

Before they could answer a huge lump of grey and brown appeared, a large wooden club sliding along the floor. It had a tiny head, and a huge body which gave it an overall

grotesque appearance. And the smell was horrible. It was like a mixture of rotten eggs, bin bags and mouldy socks.

"Yep... that's the troll all right..." Ron whispered.

And what was worse, was that it was headed for the girl's bathroom.

"Oh, no, Hermione!" It opened the door and lowered its tiny head to get its huge body through the frame.

And seconds later there was a loud scream and crashing noises.

"Hermione!"

Without hesitation, Megan darted forwards and hurried into the bathroom behind the troll.

"Megan, wait!"

Harry and Ron followed. Hermione was cowering in a corner, eyes wide with fright. Megan was trying to distract it by throwing whatever she could find at it, her wand in her

hand.

"Hermione, get out of the way!" Harry called.

But she seemed unable to answer.

"Hey, Peabrain!"

Ron aimed a piece of ceramic sink at it and it hit squarely, sounding very hollow.

"Blimey, he really has a pea brain."

But it had now turned on Ron, who wasn't so confident now. Megan, however, seized the opportunity to reach Hermione, Harry right behind her.

"You okay?"

She was just able to nod.

"Harry, you stay with her. I'll try and hit it hard enough to knock it out."

"What?!"

She didn't answer and got to her feet. She then took one big jump and managed to lock her arms around his neck, but she had had to let go of her wand to do so,

and it had lodged itself in the troll's nose.

"Megan, what are you doing?!"

Before she could say anything, though, the troll almost threw her off and she had to throw all her energy into hanging on.

"Use its club!" she managed to call.

"But..."

Harry was behind it and the troll was too close to them.

"RON!" Megan called.

"What can I do?"

"Anything! Hurry! I can't occupy him much longer!"

Ron pulled out his own wand and shouted: "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The huge club was lifted clean out of the troll's hand, who looked up at it confused. Then, Megan let go of him and landed hard on the floor. The club hit the troll hard on the

head and it swayed a little. Megan only had time to roll out of the way before it fell to the floor with a loud thud. There was a stunned silence. They looked at each other,

panting, wide-eyed. Then, Megan got to her feet.

"You okay, Hermione?"

"Ye...Yes..."

Then, they turned to the troll.

"Is it dead...?"

"No, I don't think so. Just out cold. Great Hovering Charm, Ron." Harry said.

Megan retrieved her wand from the troll's nostrils, and winced. It was covered in bogies. "Ugh, troll bogies", Harry said. She wiped it off the troll's already filthy trousers and

was about to say something when they heard hurried footsteps and Professors McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell appeared. They took one look at the troll and all looked at the

four students aghast.

"Did you... How... Explain yourselves!"

Megan was about to, along with Harry, when Hermione said:

"They were looking for me..." "You? What in the world were you doing out here?" McGonagall asked. "Well... I read all about trolls... I though I could handle one... but if they

hadn't found me... I'd probably be dead."

They all looked at her. Hermione Granger was lying!? She was lying to a teacher?!

"You seriously expected, being a first year, to be able to tackle a fully grown troll?! That was very foolish of you, Miss Granger. Five points for Gryffindor."

Then she turned to the other three.

"Do the three of you realise that no first years could stop a beast this size and live to tell the tale? I guess you have a lucky star, don't you, miss Potter. Five points to each

of you. Now, if you're not hurt, you should hurry off to your common room." They were relieved to not get into any further trouble so they hurried

off.

"How did a troll get in?" Megan asked later as they went up the steps.

"I dunno, they're really stupid, generally. Maybe Peeves let him in for a joke, he's been playing stupid pranks on everyone who crossed him."

"Maybe... but I don't think he's that crazy."

"But then, who and why..." Megan asked thoughtfully.

She thought at all the strange things that had happened.

"I think it was more than a prank." she said calmly.

The others exchanged confused looks.

"Come off it," Ron said. "You don't think someone let the troll in on purpose, everyone knows they're dangerous!"

"They're also the perfect diversion. It's obvious the teachers were expected to go all together to the place where the troll was supposed to be."

"Diversion? Whatever for?" Hermione asked.

Megan looked around to see if anyone was listening. Then, she dropped her voice.

"When Hagrid took me to Diagon alley, he took something out of the vaults, very secret. He couldn't tell me what it was. But that was the exact same day the robbery took

place!"

"You think it's connected?"

"Well, it's too big to be a coincidence for my taste." Megan said. "I mean, how often has Gringotts been robbed?"

"But who could have done it?"

"I'm not sure..."

They were so absorbed in their conversation, they didn't realise where they were until Hermione said: "Oh, no, we have to go now or we'll be in trouble!"

Looking up, they stopped, anxious. They had ended up in the third floor corridor.

"We can't stay here, if Filch catches us or any other teacher... after the troll, we'll never slip out of it!"

"Are you joking? I want to see what's so scary in there!"

Hermione grabbed Ron's arm.

"Are you out of your mind? Professor Dumbledore expressively warned us we should never go in there!"

"And miss the chance to see why? No way. Come on, live a little!"

He freed himself from her and headed to the door.

"Ron, we've pushed our luck enough tonight..." Harry began, but it was too late.

He had opened the door and slipped inside, leaving it open. The others didn't want to leave him all alone and followed. There was just a small torch lighting the corridor they

entered, but they could see it was long and narrow. They had made just a few steps inside, with Ron looking around.

"Don't know what the fuss was about, there's nothing in here."

Just then, a shadow caught Megan's eye and she wheeled around.

"Oh no..."

It was Mrs Norris. She was Filch's cat and whenever you were caught by her breaking the rules, Filch was never far behind.

"If she gets Filch," Harry whispered, "we're finished."

"Run!"

Megan called. They bolted down the corridor. But suddenly they hit a dead end.

"Locked! We're finished!" Ron wailed.

"Move," Megan said, pulling out her wand.

_"Alohomora!"_

The door unlocked and they slipped inside as fast as they could; just in time, too, for Megan, with her acute ears, heard Filch's voice.

"Anyone here, my sweet? We'll rat them out if there are, you see if we don't."

But finally he was gone. They heaved a sigh of relief.

"That's lucky. But why would someone condemn a corridor with nothing in it?" Ron asked.

'That's why..." Megan said suddenly, backing against the wall. They looked in the direction she pointed in, and their eyes widened. In front of them, looking as puzzled as

they looked terrified, was a huge dark brown three headed dog.

Its large black eyes looked at them, unsure what to make of it. But it soon recognised them as intruders, because it started growling and sniffing at them suspiciously.

"RUN!" Megan yelled.

She yanked the door open, pushed Harry, Hermione and Ron out, darted behind them, slammed the door shut in the dog's face and shouted:

"_Colloportus!"_

Then, they hurried back up the corridor and into the main staircase. The knew they were supposed to be in their common room, but at least now, they could always say they

were lost.

"This is completely crazy! Locking a beast like that in a school! What in the world are they thinking?!"

"Didn't you notice what it was standing on?"

"The trapdoor?" Megan asked. "Yes! The trapdoor. It's guarding something."

"Well excuse me for being more occupied by its three heads than it's feet," Ron said.

The following day, everyone was talking about the troll incident. People soon moved off that, however, as the first Quidditch match of the season was due that Saturday. The

day was particularly long, because they had double of everything. The only good moment, was Herbology with the Hufflepuffs. Cedric and three other Hufflepuffs, who had

been asked to tutor some of the younger students, were on the same table as they were.

"So, how are you acclimating?" he asked, with a smile.

"Oh, it's all right," Megan said as they worked on Puffapods, large marshmallow like mushrooms. "I mean, it's like all schools, there are good parts and not so good parts."

They both reached out to put some seeds in the earth, when their hands touched.

"Oh, sorry," she said, pulling back.

"No, it's okay."

They looked at each other, embarrassed. A little later, Neville developed an allergic reaction when a puffapod accidentally burst near him. He sneezed and red boils appeared

on his face.

"Oh, lord... Someone take him to Madam Pomfrey, please."

So Megan volunteered, and, an arm around Neville's shoulders, led him out.

"You're really not very lucky with classes are you?" she said sympathetically.

"I'm a -Aaatchoo!- walking disaster..." He said miserably.

"No you're not, it's just that you're insecure. You should have seen me when I arrived. I grew up with Muggles, I thought I'd be hopeless, and I made it through! You'll

manage, I'm sure."

She soon left him in the capable hands of Madam Ponfrey and was heading back to class when she heard something that made her stop.

"Blasted thing... almost ripped my leg off..."

Peering through the crack in the door, she saw Filch bandaging Snape's leg. She backed away quickly before he saw her and hurried back to class.

And finally, the first match came up. Megan was both really excited and terribly nervous. She had discovered the thrill and joy of playing Quidditch, and couldn't wait for a

real match but she didn't want to make the team loose... was she really good enough? She had never actually faced another seeker yet. They all said she would be fine, but

she wouldn't be sure until she had tried. The morning of the match, she could hardly touch her plate.

"Megan, c'mon, you need to eat. Have a bit of toast, at least!"

"Ron's right, you'll need your strength for today."

Megan was so nervous she was amazed she'd been able to sleep.

"I'm not hungry..."

"You've got to have something, or you won't last," Harry warned her. "Quidditch is very strenuous."

She'd felt that from her practices. But so much was buzzing in her mind...

"Good luck today, Potter."

She looked up at Professor Snape. He had a tiny forced smile.

Thank you, sir..." she said, hesitantly.

"After defeating a troll, a simple game of Quidditch should show no difficulty." he said, before walking off.

Megan instantly noticed he wasn't walking but limping. She immediately connected that and his words to her with what had happened the day before during Herbology.

"What if..." she whispered to herself.

"What?" Harry asked.

"He's limping. And with all the commotion he could easily have gotten out of sight to find what Hagrid hid in the castle."

"Why would the two be related?" Ron asked.

Megan hadn't had time to tell them about her adventure in the castle during Herbology. She told them and they all agreed it was suspicious. Well, almost.

"Snape is a teacher, he's not going to do something like this, even if he isn't very nice..."

"Hermione, teacher doesn't mean honest," Ron said exasperatedly. "I agree, he's fishy all right. How are we going to bust him out, though?"

"Well, first, Megan needs to strengthen up for the match," Harry said. "Come on, you're going to do fine."

Megan wished she could be so confident. She managed to swallow a little pumpkin juice and toast. And finally, it was time. Wood commented approvingly on the weather as

they went to the changing rooms. Megan had been given a set of fabulous scarlet and gold robes with a proud number fifteen on it. On the front, right where her heart was,

stood a roaring lion. She was overjoyed with her robes as she pulled them on. Then, they headed off to the pitch.

"Scared, Megan?"

"A little," she admitted.

"Don't worry. It'll go when you're in the air."

Madam Hooch advanced, the crate in her arms. She placed it at her feet, and looked sternly upon them all.

"Captains, shake hands."

They did, though it seemed rather tighter than was necessary. "Now, I want a clean, fair game from you all. Understood? Good. Mount your brooms. On my whistle."

Megan raised her leg over her shining Nimbus, and waited, her heart racing. This was it. And then, the whistle blew. In one perfect movement, fourteen brooms soared into

the air. Wood had been right. The excitement and thrill of flying had shattered her nerves. But she knew that her place wasn't assured until she won the match. Not to her, at

least. So, flying slightly above the others, she looked around, watching the players evolve, listening to Lee Jordan's colourful commentary.

"Gryffindor in possession thanks to a magnificent move by And she speeds on. But Slytherin Chaser Pucey heading in her direction, careful, Angelina! Yes, beautiful pass to

Spinnet, who zooms out of their reach like water! Passes the Slytherins like wind, she aims, and shoots... Yes! Gryffindor score!"

Megan beamed and gave them the thumbs up as they passed her. She was looking around for the Snitch, but it was so small, she had to be careful, and remain aware of the

other players and bludgers. She narrowly missed one from Pucey, which earned the Gryffindor team a penalty which Angelina nailed squarely.

"Twenty points to Gryffindor! And now, the game continues, with an admittedly good move from Pucey, there, and Slytherin in possession. Katie and Angelina dart after him,

Pucey passes Spinnet, and aims... Nice try, Wood, but Slytherin score."

It had been a great attempt. Pucey had aimed for the whole on Wood's left, causing Wood to head that way before actually shooting in the middle hoop. Wood had tried to

do a save that Megan thought reminded her strongly of football, with his two fists clenched together. But the throw had been too strong. But just then, Slytherin Captain

chaser Marcus Flint came forwards, ready to give it another go as Wood sent the Quaffle to Alicia. But while Pucey headed off after her, Megan saw Flint take a team mate's

club and take a powerful hit at a bludger that was passing. Before Megan could warn Wood or do anything, he was hit in the stomach and fell.

"Wood!"

Megan darted forwards and caught him before he hit the ground. Madam Hooch caught his broom.

"Penalty to Gryffindor!" she said angrily. "No attacks to the Keeper unless the Quaffle is in the scoring area!"

This time, Alicia took the penalty and made it while Wood was taken to Madam Pomfrey. They were still in the lead, but Megan knew she had to find the Snitch soon or they

would loose the lead. She was happy to fill in for Wood until she saw the Snitch but when she did, the goalposts would be unguarded, and the Slytherins would never let that

pass without taking advantage of it. They only needed to score twice and they'd be even, so she had to find it before then. She was just thinking whether to call time off to

discuss it with the others when Angelina headed to her and said:

"Don't worry, I'll fill his post. You concentrate on the Snitch. We have to catch it quickly or they'll beat us." "But you'll be a chaser down!" "It's part of our tactics, don't worry.

Keeper and Seeker are the two most targeted positions, he'd prepared for something like this. Any sign of it yet?"

"Not one..."

"Then, go around the field. You'll never get it by staying here."

"Okay. Good luck."

She flew off, rising above to overlook the game. She was about to cross the field to look at the other end, when her broom jerked. Then, it bucked, went sideways, up,

down... it was going crazy, and Megan was only just hanging in. She wanted to signal for time out, but the rocking was so bad she would almost definitely fall if she held on

only with one hand. What was going on?! People in the crowd were starting to ask themselves the same question, apparently, because students were pointing, gasping. Down

in the stands, Harry, Hermione and Ron were watching anxiously. Then, Hermione pulled out her binoculars and looked straight ahead, into the other stands.

"What's up with Megan? It looks like she's lost control, but she can't have!" Hagrid said, frowning as he watched.

"It's Snape! He's jinxing her broom!" Hermione answered, still looking at him.

"What?!"

"What do we do, she'll fall off if he keeps at it any longer!"

Just then, as if to verify his words, Megan slipped and only just managed to hold on to her broom with one hand. Mercifully, it stood still long enough for her to grab on with

her other hand.

"Leave it to me."

And with no further explanation, she vanished. She dashed across the stands, eyeing Megan who was holding on for all she was worth, with the Weasley twins trying to get

near enough to get her onto their brooms, or at least catch her if she fell.

"What's happening to your broom?" George asked.

No one was paying any more attention to the Slytherin team who had scored six times since Megan's broom had become wild.

"Don't know... can't hold much longer!"

The broom kept moving around, and Megan's hands, though gloved, were slipping. And every time the twins tried to get closer, it just rose higher. Back in the stands,

Hermione pulled out her wand and whispered something; Blue flames touched Snape's long black cloak and the commotion knocked him sideways, blocking Megan from his view. Megan felt the broom stop twitching and Fred soared up, holding out his hand.

"Get us that Snitch," he smiled as she got back into position. "We're still in the lead, you can do it."

She nodded and thanked them. She was touched by their immediate reaction when she had almost been thrown off her broom. They hadn't hesitated in stopping everything

to help her. She looked around, desperate for the snitch. Whether they counted the points Flint had put in during the incident didn't matter, because even if they did and

Gryffindor were no longer in the lead, she had to get the Snitch before they did or they lost. Just then, almost right Under her nose, was a flash of gold. And she quickly saw

it was the Snitch. Her eyes widened. She sped after it as it zoomed away. Soon, she heard another broom flying behind her. She glanced behind and saw Slytherin Seeker

Terence Higgs was tailing her closely. She kept her focus ahead, not wanting to lose sight of the Snitch. She didn't know if Slytherin's score had changed or not, so she

couldn't afford to let it slip away again. They engaged in a dive. They were shoulder to shoulder, neither giving in. The flicker of gold was glistening in front of them. But they

were also heading for the ground. Megan pressed on, Higgs following, then, at twenty feet from the ground, Higgs pulled up, leaving Megan clear to chase the Snitch. She

yanked her broom up at half the distance he had, and sped forwards, her hand outstretched. But she leaned out too far and toppled forwards, only just managing to shield

her face. There was a gasp, and Terence Higgs soared forwards hopefully. But Megan got to her feet, clamping her hand to her mouth. Then, after a slight jerk, she felt the

small gold ball slip into her cupped hands. She stood frozen for a few seconds, disbelieving. She had done it. She had actually won her team the match! The clapping and

cheering was almost muted by her disbelief. It was only when a recovered Wood hugged her and the Weasley twins heaved her onto their shoulders that the full impact of

everyone's joy hit her. There were even Hufflepuffs and Raveclaws came to congratulate her, as they wanted as much as anyone to see Slytherin beaten. Megan could hardly

believe it.

"Great game, everyone."

"Are you okay, Wood?" she asked. "You took a nasty blow."

"I'm good as new, credits to Madam Pomfrey. But I would have been far worse off if you hadn't caught me."

Megan flushed. They headed back inside to change and relax after the excitement of the game. Harry, Hermione and Ron hurried to her.

"Told you you'd do great," Harry said.

"Thanks guys. Hey, how did my broom stop jerking?"

"It was Snape, he was jinxing it from the stands. Jinxes are all about eye contact, and he didn't even blink. Hermione stopped him."

"But why would he try and kill a student?" Ron asked.

"I think I can answer that. Because Voldemort wants me dead." Megan said.

They flinched at his name, but she ignored it.

"So you're saying he's after whatever was almost stolen from Gringotts and you, both for Voldemort?"

"I don't know about the Gringotts incident, but I'm pretty sure Voldemort wants me dead. I'm not sure why, though."

"I reckon he's scared," Hermione said as they walked back to the castle. "He probably thinks you beat him intentionally somehow, and that you're going to try again."

"Maybe..." Megan said. "But I doubt I would pose any real threat if he came to attack me."

They were unable to pursue the subject, however because they had reached the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Caput Draconis", Harry said.

They entered the common room. It was bustling with chatting and cheering from the victory.


	8. Book 1 - Chapter 8

Chapter 8 – The mirror of Erised

Megan and the others told Hagrid about what had happened at the match. He, however, agreed with Hermione. Snape was a teacher, he wouldn't kill a student. And while Hermione had rethought her judgement since the incident, he hadn't.

"Why would Snape want to kill Megan, I ask yeh?" Hagrid asked.

"Well, why did he try and get past the three headed dog on Halloween?" Megan asked.

"Who told you about Fluffly?"

"_Fluffy_?!"

"Yeah, he's mine. Bought off a chap in the pub last year, lent 'im ter Dumbledore for – uh, some stuff."

"Hagrid, whatever it is, Snape's trying to steal it."

"Rubbish. Now you kids stay away from that dog. That business is between Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel."

"Who's that?"

"Never you mind. Hurry along now, you'll be late for class.

The weeks went by quite fast, and easily for Megan. Despite the repeated taunting from Malfoy, Megan found she got through her classes rather well. Except for Potions, but she had a feeling it wasn't just because she wasn't too good at it. Snape always seem to eye her with displeasure, and she wasn't sure whether it was related to the match or something else. But Megan was so absorbed in getting her work done properly she barely noticed the holidays were coming until Professor McGonagall handed them a list saying whether they stayed at Hogwarts or not. Ron and Harry stayed too, but Hermione was going home.

"You can help Megan then," Hermione said as they watched the boys play wizard chess, which was like muggle chess except the pieces moved.

"Hermione, we looked everywhere." Ron groaned. "Knight to E6."

"Bishop to F4. Checkmate."

"Oh, man..."

"You didn't look in the restricted section," Hermione said in a low voice. "Well, got to go, have a nice Christmas!"

"You too, Hermione," Megan said, squeezing her.

They had become very tight over the weeks.

"Good luck with your search. I'll ask my parents if they know anything about him. It can't hurt, since they're dentists. Bye!"

And she was off.

The following Saturday, Megan was woken by Ron's shouts

"Megan! Wake up!"

She did, and smiled.

"Happy Christmas Ginny, and you Ron, Harry. What are you wearing?"

"Our mom makes these every year." he said, sheepishly. "It looks like she did you one too... I told her you didn't expect anything..."

"I have presents?"

"Well, yeah!"

She laughed and hurried down. There they were, neatly piled under the tree.

There was a fiery red jumper with a hood behind. With that was a box of chocolate from Hermione, a book on Quidditch from Ron ("Ron, you shouldn't have, it must have been horribly expensive." "No, don't worry, It's been at home for years." but she suspected he was lying because the cover was brand new), a little carved dog from Hagrid, a pretty wizard watch from Cedric and a small, soft package.

"What's that?" Ron and Harry asked, as they sat down to look while Ginny went up to get changed for breakfast.

"I don't know..."

She pulled the paper off carefully, and a long of piece of material slid into her hands.

"I think I know what it is..." Ron said in awe. "If I'm right, it's the coolest thing there is!"

"What is it?"

"An Invisibility Cloak!"

"Was there a note saying who sent it?" Harry asked curiously.

She found it pinned to the wrapper.

"Your father left this in my possession before he died," she read aloud. "It is time it was returned to you. Use it well."

"Who could it be from?"

"I don't know..."

She slid it through her hands. It was silky and light. She then slid it around her shoulders.

"I knew it! It _is_ an Invisibility cloak!"

"What?"

She looked down at her feet... But they were gone!

"My body! It's... I feel it but it's gone!"

Indeed it had. She could feel her feet, the sole of her shoes, and her jeans, but could see nothing. It was very odd. But also oddly exhilarating. She could search for hours for Nicholas Flamel, and no one would know! She decided to look that very night.

"You sure? If you're caught..."

"Listen, I don't particularly like breaking the rules, but if we don't find more about Flamel, we can't go any further and we don't have much time. If Snape knows how to get past the dog, he could get whatever... Fluffy's guarding, and then he could do whatever he intends to do with it, and we may not be able to do anything. So, if we find what Flamel's got to with all this it could help."

"Okay, then..." They said, but didn't sound too convinced.

So, that night, after a few games of wizard chess, which was the same as ordinary chess except the pieces moved, Megan prepared to head to the library. While the others were asleep, she slipped out of bed, pulled the cloak from her trunk, and slid it over her shoulders. The Fat Lady was asleep too, when she opened the portrait hole. So, she carefully closed the portrait and walked down the corridor, silent as she could. There was no one around so far, but she knew better than to relax. She was almost sure Filch would be patrolling. She reached the library and quietly opened the door. The lights were out but that didn't mean Madam Pince wasn't around. She ignited her wand by whispering "_Lumos_" and looked around for the restricted section. She found it, unlocked the door and stepped inside.

As soon as she did, she instantly felt a change in the air. It was like she could feel the magic emanating from these books. There were many with strange symbols and titles, but she dared not touch any. Then, she finally found one about famous witches and wizards. Maybe he was in there... she pulled it out carefully and slipped it onto her knee. But when she opened it, a face appeared and let out an ear-splitting scream. She managed to snap it shut but the damage was done. She heard Filch's voice calling Mrs Norris. She shoved the book into the shelf, and threw the cloak over herself. Making sure she had left nothing, she hurried out of the room. But she had to skid to a silent halt because Filch was walking in that direction. She backed away and headed toa door at the far end when something made her stop.

"Have you found how to get past the three headed beast yet, Quirell?"

Megan crept closer and had to fight back a gasp. It was Snape and Quirell. The later was backing against the wall, terrified.

"D-don't know w-what you're t-t-talking about, er... S-Severus..."

"You don't want me as your enemy."

"Wh-at d'you m-mean?"

"You know well what I mean. And I think it is time to decide where your loyalties lie."

And he swept away in a swish of black material. Quirell hurried away too, and Megan only just had time to back away so he didn't crash into her. Her cloak still firmly around her, she looked around for the door she had seen. She needed to get back to her common room. Maybe Hermione had been wrong, maybe Flamel wasn't in the restricted section of the library after all. She slipped through the door and looked around. But all she found was an empty room with a large mirror. It had strange words carved along the frame. Megan looked down at it, and , standing on either side of her, was a red head woman and a tall young man with untidy hair. But she immediately saw the green eyes. And they were smiling at her. Then, it hit her. They were the couple from her dreams... they were her parents.

"...Mom...? Dad...?" She whispered.

They nodded, still smiling. Megan couldn't believe it. She could finally see what they looked like! Because she never remembered them in her dreams. Just the green light and the screams... She wished she could touch them... on a wild impulse, she reached out and put her hand to the mirror. And to her amazement, they reached out and put their hand against hers. She felt tears sting her eyes, and the mirror showed her a suspicious gleam in her eyes. She heard footsteps outside. She looked away, and turned back to the mirror.

"I have to go... I'll be back."

And, vanishing under the cloak, she slid back into the main hall and to her common room.

She didn't dare tell anyone about the mirror, the next morning, so she only told them she hadn't found anything about Flamel, and the conversation she'd heard with Filch. She knew it was silly to want to look at a reflection, but they were the closest link she had had with her parent since they'd died. So the next night, when everyone was asleep, she slid the cloak back on and hurried silently down the corridors, narrowly missing Filch twice. She reached the mirror room and sure enough, her parents were there, as if waiting for her to come home. She realised how much she wished it were true. She sat down in front of the mirror, watching them, wishing she could talk to them, try and catch up a little on the long years she'd lost.

"Back again, Megan?"

She gasped and jumped to her feet.

"... Professor Dumbledore...?"

"I see you discovered the mirror of Erised. Do you realise what it does?"

"... It shows us what we want...?" Megan suggested.

"Yes, and no. It shows us the deepest desire of our hearts. So the happiest man on earth will see himself exactly as he is. You, who have never known your parents, see them standing beside you, where any parent should be."

Megan turned to the mirror.

"Is it so very wrong?" she asked. "I mean... I'll never have a Mum and Dad, any more... I lost my childhood because they were killed... is it so wrong to want them back...?"

"Oh, no, dear girl." Dumbledore said. "But it does not do well to live in dreams, Megan. And this mirror shows neither knowledge or truth. Many have gone mad, trying to bring what they saw to life. Which is why it will be moved tomorrow. And I ask of you not to go looking for it. Can I count on you for that?'"

"Yes, sir." she said.

She was starting to realise she would get caught if she kept crossing the hallways at night, even under her cloak. If she sneezed, fell over, or anything. She had been foolish. She looked one more time at her parents.

"I know you must find this unfair, Megan. But it is for the best."

"I understand, sir... but... I just know things would have been really different if I had had my parents..."

He said nothing, but there was a tiny hint of glimmering in his eyes.

"Now, why don't you get that cloak on and hurry back to bed? Mind for Filch, he's on the fourth, at the moment."

"Thank you sir..."

And so, she went.

She didn't manage to tell the others what she'd seen. She knew Hermione would be disapproving and the boys wouldn't really know what to say about it. By the time the holidays had ended, they were too busy to look up Flamel anyway. However, luckily, Megan found him quite unwillingly. She had just opened a chocolate frog, and had bitten into it, when she noticed the card she had; It was Dumbledore. She was about to toss it away, when she froze, wide eyed.

"Of course!"

"What?"

"Here's Flamel! Here, look!"

She read out the card:

"Work on alchemy with his partner Nicholas Flamel!"

"Hold it, I've just remembered something!"

Hermione hurried upstairs to the dormitory and came back down quickly with a large book under her arm.

"I took this out weeks ago, I can't believe I didn't see it sooner..." she said, dumping the book with a heavy thud.

"What's that?" Ron asked.

Hermione ignored him opened the heavy volume and flicked through it's pages until she found what she wanted.

"There, here it is. Nicholas Flamel is only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone."

"You're joking!"

Megan was looking horrified.

"What's the Philosopher's stone?" Ron asked.

"It's a powerful object that can turn any metal to gold, and produce the Elixir of Life, which makes the drinker immortal." Hermione read on. "The only stone currently in existence is in the possession of Nicholas Flamel, who celebrated last year his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday. He is currently living a quiet life with his wife Perenelle in Devon."

"A stone that makes you immortal...! No wonder it's being so well protected!"

"Yes, and it all makes sense, now, doesn't it? _That's_ what Hagrid took from Gringotts that was almost stolen the same day, and _that's_ what Fluffy's guarding!"

"So now what?"

"Snape still hasn't got past the three headed dog," Megan reasoned, "so, as long as that stays true, we can figure out a way to expose him."

Later that day, they decided to go visit Hagrid that afternoon.

"Sorry, can't really, uh... let you in, a bit busy..."

"Hagrid, we know about the stone."

His eyes widened.

"Get in quick before someone sees ye," he said roughly, ushering them in.

"We think Snape's after it." Hermione said.

"Not still on abou' that, are ye? He's one of the people protecting the stone, he won't steal it."

"One of the people...? So there are other spells and things protecting the stone besides Fluffy?" Megan asked.

"Well o' course, you think just one little three headed dog is enough to protect something that valuable? Still, it's the best protection, no one'll get past him, no one else knows how. 'Xept me and Dumbledore. Aah, shouldn't said that."

"Who else is there?" Ron asked.

"Well, there's me, o'course. I lent 'em Fluffy. Then, there's ol' professor Flitwick, McGonagall, and Sprout, Snape... Quirell did something too... oh, and professor Dumbledore did somethin' too. So you see, it's perfectly safe."

"Not if Snape's the one after it, he'll know how to get past the other defences, won't he?"

"They kept it secret from each other, as an extra precaution. Dumbledore's the only one who knows the whole extend of it, and he's too powerful for anyone to pick his mind. So even if Snape did want the stone, which he doesn't, he'd never get past Dumbledore."

Megan wanted to believe that, but she just didn't trust Snape. He was creepy.

"Hagrid, that's not what I think it is, is it?" Ron said suddenly.

They turned to where he was pointing, and noticed something that looked a lot like a huge egg in the fire. It was black and red, and Hagrid was extremely excited about it. Megan also suspected he was happy to change the subject.

"It is, Ron. I won it off some chap the other night in the pub." He said. "He seemed pretty happy to get it off his 'ands, actually."

Megan was about to ask what it was, when it answered for itself. It started crackling and Hagrid quickly pulled it out and plopped it onto the table. It wiggled and crackled until it burst, revealing a dragon.

"Whoa...!"

It was small, greenish grey, and didn't look too friendly.

"Isn't he beautiful?"

"He's..."

"Hagrid, do you realise this is illegal?" Hermione said.

"He's just a baby, I couldn't leave him!"

"Hagrid, that's a Norwegian Ridgeback, they're not the most friendly of beasts." Ron said.

"Ah, he's only a baby, he's harmless.

"Hagrid, your house is made of wood! Not to mention the trouble you'll be in if you're caught!" Megan said.

She'd spent several days in the library over the holidays, reading as much as she could. She'd learned lots of fascinating things about the wizarding world, including several laws.

"Well, as long as he's in me 'ut, he'll be fine."

He was right in assuming they wouldn't tell on him but he could get hurt!

"Hagrid, this is really not a good idea...!" Hermione pleaded.

"Ah, c'mon, you four, how many chances am I goin' to get, eh?"

They exchanged a worried look. Just then, Hagrid went pale.

"Someone was at the window!"

Megan bolted to the door and looked out. And her heart sank. No one could have been worse.

"It was Malfoy, Hagrid." she said, turning around. "And there's not a chance in the world he's not going to tell on you."

Hagrid's face fell. They weren't supposed to be out after dark, and they had lost track of time trying to talk some sense into Hagrid. So they tried to head to their common room without being seen; But they couldn't help but discuss the topic as they walked.

"Hagrid's full of heart but he just doesn't see when things are dangerous..." Hermione said.

"And the worse part is Malfoy knows..." Ron says.

"And so do I."

They froze. A few feet ahead, stood Malfefoy... and professor McGonagall.

The four Gryffindors knew only too well they were in a very sticky situation. They stood before the head of Gryffindor house, fully aware of Malfoy's gleeful sneer behind them.

"Nothing gives a student, especially not a first year to wander about at night."

"We weren't wandering, professor, we-"

Megan quickly nudged Ron to silence him.

"Yes, I heard your little tale. Malfoy was telling it to me just before you arrived. Ridiculous, and all five of you will receive detention."

"What?"

"Yes, Malfoy. I believe you were out of bed after hours also, were you not? As for the four of you..."

She sighed:

"Miss Granger, given your admirable results on yesterday's test, I will remove only thirty. However, the three of you, will each be taken forty points from Gryffindor."

Megan couldn't look up. They had lost one hundred and fifty points. That meant they were no longer in the lead. And they all knew how badly everyone Slytherin to lose... At least Malfoy'd lost his grin... but she would have preferred that any day to get those points back...

"Now all of you, off to your dormitories this instant."

She looked thoroughly disappointed.

"That old bat! How could she!" Ron snarled as they walked back up.

"No, she's right. As nobly intentioned as we were, we should have been more careful..." Harry said. "I just wish she hadn't taken quite so many points... they're going to hate us in the morning..."

"I just hope we didn't get Hagrid in trouble..." Hermione said.

"Me too... if we hadn't gone down there," Megan said. "Malfoy wouldn't have followed us...! He's always trying to set us up for expulsion... Now let's hurry before Filch catches us..."

They reached the long hallway leading to the fat lady.

"Where in the world have you been?" she asked.

"Never mind..." Ron said.

"_Windflower_." Megan said.

All in all, they weren't in the brightest spirits when they headed up to bed.

The next morning proved Harry right. The others, after the confusion at discovering a hundred and fifty point gap in the hourglass, found out the truth and were deeply unimpressed. But the four of them couldn't help worrying about Hagrid. He hadn't been at breakfast and wasn't there at lunchtime either. And they had a feeling they knew what McGonagall would say if they dared to ask her.

"You should have thought of that before you got out of bed after hours, now shouldn't you?"

Even though Malfoy had lost forty five points for Slytherin, none of them seemed too unhappy about it.

"C'mon, you guys, we lost loads of points, everyone still loves us!" said the Weasley twins in an effort to cheer them up.

"Never lost a hundred and fifty in one go, have you?" Megan asked.

"Uh... well... no..." they admitted.

Later that day, they were informed they were to meet Filch outside the entrance hall after dinner. Megan just hoped Hagrid wouldn't hate them too much for getting him into trouble. She was just coming down from picking up her book for Charms, when she almost bumped a boy in front of her.

"Oh, sorry..."

She meant to head away before they recognised her and chastised her, but:

"Megan?"

She froze, and looked round. Then, she straightened up, though without totally relaxing.

"Cedric..."

"It's okay," he said. "I'm not going to insult you or throw anything at you."

She relaxed.

"You're probably the only one..."

"Ah, don't worry, you'll catch up. I'm sure."

"A hundred and fifty points... we'll have a hell of a time doing that... we'd need ten points a day, and the teachers won't give them out so easily to avoid us catching up..."

She sighed.

"At least Hufflepuff have still got a shot... you're second place, now."

"It won't be the same as if it were Gryfindor." he said.

"Say, come to think of it, why aren't you furious with me?"

"Well," he looked serious now. "That depends. Did you have a valid reason for being out last night?"

"Yes... but I can't tell you what... All I can say is, I was doing it for a close friend. He needed help."

His face brightened.

"That's all I need to know. No rule is worth helping a friend."

"I just hope I haven't caused them more trouble..." she said.

"If they're real friends, they'll know you didn't mean to cause them trouble." he said, laying a hand on her shoulder.

Just then, the bell rang, so they hurried off to their separate classes.


	9. Book 1 - Chapter 9

9 – The Forbidden Forest

That evening, Megan, Hermione, Ron and Harry finished their homework early and then, heavy hearted, went down to the Entrance hall, trying to ignore the

few glares they got. They knew they had broken the rules and needed to face the consequences, even if they had wanted to help a friend. Filch was waiting, a

gleeful smile on his face. Malfoy was near the door, looking grumpy.

"C'mon then."

To her surprise, Filch led them out to the grounds. Megan frowned. Students weren't allowed out after dark, what where they going into the grounds for? She

was just about to ask when Filch said:

"You'll be helping Hagrid, tonight. Inside the Forbidden Forest."

Megan definitely felt better at the idea of being with Hagrid, but the forest was far from inviting, especially in the dark. And Dumbledore's words rung in her

head "The dark forest is out of bounds to all students.". And Percy had mentioned over dinner that same night that it was "full of dangerous beasts"... not

exactly reassuring. They eventually reached his hut, which was lit up. Hagrid, was waiting beside his door. Megan noticed however, that looked sad.

"Hi, there, you four. Thanks for coming." Hagrid said. "I could use the help."

"What's the matter, Hagrid?" Megan asked anxiously.

"Norbert... the little Norwergian dragon... he's gone. Dumbledore sent him to Romania. To live in a colony..."

He sighed. Megan put a hand on his large arm.

"It's better for him, Hagrid..." she said. "He... He would have been lonely. Two dogs and a man aren't the same as another dragon..."

She was deeply relieved he wasn't given any more trouble. But she had suspected he would be all right. Dumbledore was a fair man. He knew Hagrid was

never ill-intentioned, even if he had broken the law. Hagrid sighed again, but seemed to agree that Norbert was better off with other dragons.

"I'll be back at dawn. For what's left of yeh..." Filch said nastily.

Megan fought a shudder as he left. Then, Hagrid, who Megan now realised had a large cross- bow, straightened up.

"What are we doing, Hagrid?"

"I'll explain as we go. C'mon."

Megan and the others followed but Malfoy didn't.

"I'm not going in there! It's full of mud. And students are forbidden to go anyway."

"You're going if yeh want to stay 'ere. You did wrong and now yeh have to atone. But if you'd rather get out safe, head up now to the castle and pack! Go on!"

Malfoy scowled at him but said nothing.

"All right, then. C'mon."

They followed him into the outskirts of the forest. Then, he stopped, bent low, stood up, and sighed. He lifted his fingers, which were covered in liquid silver.

"What's that Hagrid?" Ron asked.

"... Is that... Unicorn blood?" Megan asked in a low voice.

She'd read about it in her books.

"That's righ'. I found one dead recently. This one's been badly hurt by summat. And it's up to us to try and find the poor thing. Ron, Hermione, you come with

me."

Ron and Hermione stepped beside him without protesting. Megan was glad. They'd be safe with him. Even if that meant...

"Megan and Harry, you go with Malfoy."

Megan nodded. She knew very well why he was with them. He would have a harder time scaring them. She and Harry exchanged a look. It was far from what

they would call the best case scenario, but it had to be done.

"Then I get Fang!" Malfoy said, trying to cover the fear in his voice.

"Fine; But he'll not be of much use to you. He's a right coward."

Fang whined. Megan stroked his big head. Mira followed silently and sat down by her mistress. Where Megan went, she would go.

"All right, then. Can you all send red sparks if you're in trouble?"

"Yes," they replied, Malfoy as if he had been insulted.

"Hagrid, d'you want me to have Mira go with you?" Megan offered.

"Nah, you keep her," he said. "I'm already prepared."

He patted his crossbow.

"Look out for blood drops like this," Hagrid said. "If you find the Unicorn, send blue or green sparks, okay?"

"Yes, Hagrid."

The four friends exchanged one long, anxious look.

"Be careful," Hermione and Ron said to them.

"You too," Megan and Harry said back.

And so, they separated.

The forest was dark, and quiet. Too quiet. The only sounds they heard were the crunching of their feet and their breathing. The trees soon got so thick they

could barely see.

"This is ridiculous. This isn't for students to do!" Malfoy grumbled.

Megan glanced at him, raising the lantern to see better around them.

"You know, Malfoy, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're scared."

He snorted.

"Me, scared? You're even dumber than you look." Megan rolled her eyes.

Mira trotted at their side, along with Fang, who looked very uncomfortable indeed.

"Wait till I tell my father about-"

"Sshh!" Harry suddenly said. "Don't you tell me what to do, Nelson!"

"Quiet, Malfoy!" Harry said sharply.

"I heard something."

That made Malfoy fall silence and even go paler than he already was. Harry had stopped. Megan quickly stepped to his side, listening.

"What is it?" she whispered.

He was staring ahead, listening and frowning.

"I don't know..." he whispered back. "But it doesn't sound friendly to me."

Megan felt herself shudder. Quietly, they stepped closer. The noise grew louder, clearer. It sounded like a low growl. Their hearts hammering, Megan and Harry

pushed on. Malfoy was behind them, but Megan suspected he didn't want to be left alone in the dark, unwelcoming forest. Megan could almost hear a hiss.

Just then, a horrible sight met their eyes. They had found the unicorn all right. It was dead. And above it, sucking blood from it, was a black hooded figure.

Malfoy screamed. Fang and he tore backwards howling. Harry followed. But Megan was transfixed. She was unable to move, she could only stare. Something

inside her knew that figure. But what, she ahd no idea. And why in the world couldn't she move? Then, suddenly, it turned to her. Megan felt like her whole

body had turned to ice, that only her heartbeat was keeping her from turning into an ice cube. The hooded figure slowly started towards her. And then, at long

last, her body seemed to remember how to move again, and she didn't hesitate. She tried to back away, shivering. But she couldn't take her eyes off the

hooded figure and didn't see the root behind her. She fell over, scraping her hand. She tried to force her arm to move to get her wand but she couldn't move.

Megan found herself thinking of Cedric, how she wished she'd had a chance to see him again. She watched as the hooded figure advanced on her, and knew

she wouldn't be able to escape him. Just then, as the hooded figure drew nearer, she heard a sound of hooves. A huge shape leapt over her and fended the

stranger away. Megan stayed frozen in shock and stared at the creature, a horse from the waist down and a man above, who turned slowly to her. He then

strode over to her and held out a hand. He was quite handsome

"Are you all right?" he asked in a deep low voice.

Megan took his hand and steadily got to her feet.

"I... Yes, I think so." she said, trying to keep steady.

She now realised he was a centaur. He was tall, blond with a young, now concerned, expression.

"Good."

"Thanks for your help." she said.

"You're welcome." he said.

Megan looked in the direction the figure had vanished, her heart still hammering, and she was still shaking.

"It is gone. It won't come back."

Megan gulped slightly and turned back to Firenze.

"...Wha... What was that thing?" she asked.

"A monstrous creature; It is a crime to slay a unicorn, but its blood will save you from death. However, you will only have a half life. A cursed life."

Megan was about to ask who would choose such a life, but then it hit her. Voldemort would. And Hagrid's words the day they'd gone to Diagon Alley rung in

her mind. Don't think he 'ad enough human in him left to die... So he was trying to what... come back to life?

"Voldemort... that was him...?" she asked in a whisper.

Firenze gave her a piercing look.

"Do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?" he asked in a whisper, lowering to her level, as if afraid to be overheard.

Megan thought for a moment. Then, it hit her.

"The philosopher's stone... of course!"

Just then, she heard hurried footsteps. She spun around.

"Megan!" Hermione

and the others were standing up on a ledge a little higher up. "Hagrid!" Then, she said: "... I'm sorry, Hagrid... I was too late..."

She looked to the dead unicorn.

"I was afraid of that..." he sighed. "Hello, there Firenze. See ye met our young Megan, here. You okay, kid?"

She nodded. Firenze then lifted her and helped her onto the ledge, where Harry, Ron and Hermione pulled her towards them and hugged her. She hugged

them back.

"This is where I leave you," Firenze announced, making Megan turn around. "You are safe now."

"Yes, because of you." Megan said. "Thank you for everything."

She held out her hand. He looked slightly surprised, but shook it.

"Goodbye."

"Bye, Firenze."

"I'm so glad you're okay... Harry said you saw what killed the unicorn... what was it?"

"I... I'm not sure. But without Firenze, I would be just like that unicorn."

Hagrid walked them back to the castle. They were too tired and shaken to talk much. But Megan had to let the others know what she'd seen. Because she had

had a little time to think about the incident. If that was indeed Voldemort, he had to be in weak shape indeed to resolve to that... unless he was just buying

himself the time he needed to get the Stone. When they were in the common room, she immediately told them everything she'd seen and heard. They were all

thunderstruck.

"Wait... You-Know-Who in the Hogwarts grounds?" Hermione said sceptically.

"He's weak... He's been surviving off unicorn blood. But that's not the main part. We had it wrong! Snape doesn't want the stone for himself, he wants it for

Voldemort!"

"Don't say the name!" Ron said.

"But someone like him couldn't just waltz into the grounds!" Harry said. "The school's protected all around!"

"Yes, but he seems to have found a way, hasn't he?" Megan reasoned.

"Hold on, you two," Hermione said. "We're forgetting one thing. Who's the one wizard Voldelmort always cringed before?"

The boys looked lost. Megan knew the answer.

"Dumbledore, but-" "Yes, exactly, Megan! Dumbledore! As long as he's around, you'll be fine."

"I'm not worried about what Voldemort does to me!" Megan burst out.

"You're not thinking about getting the stone yourself… are you?" Ron asked.

"I am," she said.

She couldn't see how else to solve the problem. The others gaped at her.

"If you're caught again, you'll be expelled for sure!" Hermione said.

"I don't care! Hermione, being expelled is the least if our worries!" she shouted. "If he gets the stone, he'll be able to return to power! And he can then

destroy Hogwarts! Or worse than that, he could turn it into a Dark Arts school! Loosing points is meaningless right now!"

They looked at her.

"He killed my parents, so I refuse to let him kill another person while there's a breath in my body."

The others glanced at each other. Then, Hermione said:

"You're right..."

They decided not to pursue the matter and went to bed. The next morning, Megan was heading into the castle after Herbology on her way to Charms, when a

voice called her name.

"Hey, Megan, wait!" She looked around and saw Cedric hurry down the stairs towards her. She tucked her hair behind her ear, which was a sign of nerves

when you knew her. Although, most people do that when they're nervous.

"Hi, Cedric. How are you?"

"I was just going to ask you. I heard Malfoy saying he gotten stuck in detention with you and the others. He said you'd run into some monster. I wanted to

make sure none of you were hurt."

"We're fine, thanks for asking." Megan said.

"So how true is Malfoy's story?" he asked.

Megan hesitated. On the one hand she would have appreciated his insight. Being slightly older and knowing more magic than her… but this was Voldemort

they were dealing with, and Megan already thought there were too many people she cared about involved… but like them, Cedric seemed to want to be

involved. Before she could come to a decision, however, the bell rang.

"I'm sorry, I have to go… I'll talk to you later," she said.

"Okay. And Megan? Whatever's going on, be careful."

"... I will." She said.

And she hurried off, still undecided on what to do about him.

Megan kept thinking about it during Charms. Since everyone was talking as they worked on their Aguamenti charm, which was supposed to produce water,

Megan could discuss the topic with her friends.

"Why didn't you tell him about it? He cold have helped us!" Ron said.

Megan sighed as she filled her goblet with water from her wand.

"Don't you think I know that?" she said a little imptatiently.

"And I thought about telling him. But if this is as bad as we think, I don't want him involved. You three is more than enough in my opinion."

The others looked at her.

"… What d'you mean?" Harry asked.

Goodness, boys could be dense! Megan sighed.

"Because… you're my friends… the first real ones I've ever had… and I don't want you to get hurt when you aren't even V-" she glanced at Ron. "You-Know-

Who's target…"

There was a silence. Hermione squeezed her hand.

"You're right Megan. We're your friends. That's why we are involved. We care about you too, and you couldn't face You-Know-Who by yourself."

"Besides, it's not like we don't know it'll be dangerous," Harry shrugged. "But so do you, right? And that's not stopping you."

Megan was about to say that was because she had no choice, but Ron spoke first.

"Yeah, so we're in. Friends stick together."

"One for all and all for one," Hermione agreed.

"What?" Harry and Ron said, staring at Hermione.

She and Megan laughed.

"It's a Muggle motto from a book called the Three Musketeers," Hermione explained.

"One for all and all for one?" Ron repeated. "Isn't that a bit selfish?"

Megan laughed.

"That's not what it means. It's the opposite. It means that all the members of a group support each of the individual members, and the individual members

pledge to support the group."

"Yeah, that's what I said." Ron said. "Isn't it?"

They laughed again.

The weather soon became warmer as they reached May. As odd as it seemed given the situation, Megan and the others had taken to studying, because

exams were soon going to be there. Megan and Hermione helped the boys study, and Megan had to admit it was nice to take her mind of Voldemort for a

while. She didn't have any other strange occurrences, so she hoped that she would be able to stop Voldemort before he actually did anything... but she knew

Hermione was right. Voldemort had always been afraid of Dumbledore, and still was. That much was obvious or he would have attacked already, in the past

weeks, even if he had been weakened. So that also meant he didn't know how to get past Fluffy, even if he did know what the other defences were. But even

if that was true, Hermione was confident that as long as Dumbledore was there, Voldemort would never try anything. But Megan still didn't understand why

she had become so still that night in the forest. Harry had asked her why she hadn't followed, and she'd answered that she had tripped and Firenze had

stepped in. But she knew that he wouldn't have needed to if she'd not frozen up…Why had that happened? Was it fear? Yet she didn't feel scared of

Voldemort. Oh, she wasn't keen on facing him, but… it wasn't exactly ou of fear. So why had she felt so cold and unable to move...? Although, she had to admit

that she had been a little scared that night… but if it was Voldemort, it didn't make sense… She had never told anyone about it, not even Cedric. They had

become good friends, and he had helped her a lot with her exams, even though he had his own to study for. She often yearned to tell him everything, but she

knew he would want to follow, and she was already uncomfortable with risking Harry, Ron and Hermione's lives. She had to admit, though, she would have

been glad to have his experience... He certainly knew spells they didn't... But his safety meant much more to her. And she didn't tell them either, because she

felt selfish for thinking that, but she was secretly glad not to have to face everything alone anymore.


	10. Book 1 - Chapter 10

10 – The Trapdoor

The last day of the exams was finally there, and the sun was high and bright, so the four of them went down to sit by the lake. But Megan had been having a stinging prickle in her forehead. She couldn't seem to shake off.

"Go to the nurse," Hermione said when she told them about it.

"No, it's not an illness... I just... ugh! I wish I knew what it means...!"

She pressed her hand to her scar in frustration.

"C'mon, it's nearly lunchtime," Ron said. "Maybe a bit of food'll help."

Megan shrugged but followed. They had to cross Hagrid's hut, and Megan could see him playing a flute outside. And then it hit her.

"Megan, what are you doing?" Harry asked as she ran towards Hagrid.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd that the one thing Hagrid wants is a dragon, and he runs into the one out of a million wizards who happens to have one?!"

They seemed to think the coincidence was rather odd, too. So they hurried after her.

"Hagrid!" Megan called as she reached him. "Who gave you that egg? What did he look like?"

"Dunno, he had a hood. But he didn't just take him, he said he'd play it at cards with me. Wanted to be sure I could look after 'im, see? I told 'im it wouldn't be no trouble, not after Fluffy!"

"Did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Hermione asked.

"Well, 'o course, I mean how many three headed dogs are you likely to see, even if you're in the trade? But I said the trick with any beast is to know how to calm it. Take Fluffly, for example, just a little music and he'll be out like a light."

Megan's stomach plumetted. If he had let it slip this easily with them, he would have done with the stranger! She glanced at her friends, who seemed to be thinking the same. They hurried off back towards the castle.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Hagrid asked but they didn't answer.

They darted up to the Transfiguration classroom where McGonagall was bent over her desk, writing.

"Professor McGonagall!"

She looked up.

"What on earth is the matter with you? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"Professor, we need to see the Headmaster immediately!"

"I am afraid he's not here," she said, looking at them suspiciously. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry and headed straight to London."

"Gone?! But it's important!"

"More important than the Ministry of Magic?" McGonagall said sharply.

"Yes. Professor, this is about the Philosopher's stone."

Her eyes widened and she was clearly caught off her guard.

"How do you kn-"

"That doesn't matter right now, but we have reason to believe someone's going to steal it!"

"I have no idea how you found out about the stone, but it is, I assure you, quite safe from harm. Now hurry along, I have work to do."

Ron seemed about to protest but Megan caught his arm and shook her head. They went out, Megan thinking hard.

"It wasn't a stranger that Hagrid got the dragon egg from, it was Snape. And I'm pretty sure he sent that supposedly urgent owl. I'll bet the Ministry will be very surprised to see Dumbledore, you'll see." Harry said as they paused.

"I know... but what can we do, with Dumbledore gone?"

"Good afternoon..."

They froze. Megan turned around and faced Snape.

"I wonder what four young Gryffindors such as yourselves be doing inside on such a day?"

"Uh... we were just..." Hermione began.

"Heading outside now," Harry said.

"Indeed? Well then hurry off."

He swept past them and Hermione, looking after him anxiously asked.

"Now what?"

"If we don't do anything, he'll have the stone by tomorrow." Megan said. "So I'm going through that trapdoor. I'll stop him if it's the last thing I do."

Her friends stared at her.

"Megan, that's crazy!" Hermione cried. "You don't even know where the stone is or what the teachers put up! Not to mention the trouble you'll be in if you're caught wandering the _corridors_, let alone the third floor!"

"I'll have the Cloak, I'll be fine. And now I know how to get past Fluffy, I'll just have to improvise for the rest. We know which teachers put a defence up, I'll just have to use what they taught us."

"Megan, whatever they'll have put up is going to be far more difficult than anything first-years like us can do!" Hermione said in alarm. "You'll never make it alone!"

"Then I'll die trying. Because I will rip my own heart out before I go to the Dark side," she said firmly. "I'll take the cloak. Hardly anyone knows about it."

Megan didn't expect this, but Hermione placed her hand on hers, as did Harry and Ron.

"We're not letting you go alone." Harry said.

"But..."

"Will the cloak cover all of us though?" Ron asked the others, ignoring her.

'I think it should just about be big enough if we squeeze and walk very carefully," Hermione said thoughtfully.

"Guys!"

They turned to her.

"I'm not saying I want to go alone to play the heroine or anything… this is dangerous. Bigger than any of us. And I don't want you in any more trouble. You could get expelled, hurt or worse..."

Her throat tightening at the very thought, she went on:

"... You guys are my best friends... I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

Harry Ron and Hermione exchanged glances.

"We refuse to go to the dark side either." Hermione said.

And in one movement, they hugged. Megan fought tears in her eyes. This was what friendship was supposed to feel like, she knew it. And she had never felt happier.

Ten thirty ticked on Megan's watch. Luckily, most of the Gryffindors had gone to bed early, tired by the exams and resulting celebrations. Careful not to wake Ginny or the other two first-years, she crept over to Hermione's bed and shook her to indicate she could get up. They tiptoed down the staircase barefooted, as their shoes would have made noise on the stone steps, and went to the common room. Harry and Ron were just coming down themselves.

"Got the cloak?" Harry asked Megan.

"Here," she said, raising her forearm. "Now, if you want to stay, that's fine." she added to the other two.

It had been agreed that one of them had to stay back to report to McGonagall or Dumbledore. And because the cloak was only big enough for three.

"Hermione, if you will?" Ron said, pointedly ignoring Megan.

"Harry, if we're not back by dawn, get McGonagall."

"Right."

Megan turned to Hermione and Ron.

"Now, are you both sure you-"

"Just put the cloak on. C'mon, or Snape will be there already." Ron said.

"What are you doing?"

They froze. Turning round, they saw Neville. He was standing at the foot of the stairs, in his blue pyjamas.

"Neville, go back to bed, we'll be right behind you," Harry said.

Neville didn't move.

"You're sneaking out again, aren't you?"

Megan bit her lip. They were wasting precious time...

"Neville, we have to. We wouldn't if we had any other way,-" she began.

"No! I won't let you, you'll get Gryffindor into trouble again!"

He raised his fists.

"Neville-"

"I'll fight you!"

"Neville, don't be silly!" Ron said hotly.

"You're the one who told me to stand up to people!"

"Not to us!" He said in exasperation.

Hermione heaved a sigh and pulled out her wand.

"Neville, I'm really sorry..." She said and raised it. "_Petrificus Totalus!_"

Neville froze and swayed on the spot. Megan only just had time break his fall.

"Sorry, Neville..." she said.

She glanced at Hermione.

"He will be okay, right?"

"Yes... he's only paralysed." she said.

They exchanged an uncomfortable glance.

"Come on, let's move." Megan finally said, standing up.

She took the Cloak from her arm and slid it over them.

"Crikey, this is weird," said Harry's voice as they vanished. "I know you're there, but I can't see you!"

"See you later, Harry." Megan said.

"You guys be careful. Good luck!"

They pushed the portrait door open, ignoring the Fat Lady's surprise, and to avoid making any noise, they walked slowly. It was dark and Megan thanked herself for suggesting they were shoes that didn't make any noise. They didn't see any teachers around. Not even Filch or Mrs Norris. Soon, they reached the third floor corridor. Megan unlocked the door again, and they crept inside. Just then the cloak flew off them. Megan darted for her wand, before a loud snore made her stop. Fluffly was fast asleep!

"I knew it. Look."

Hermione pointed to a harp beside them.

"Snape's been through here already. We'd better hurry."

They looked for the trapdoor. But it was under his paw.

"We'll have to move his paw," Megan said.

She stepped forwards and placed her hands under it. It was huge. The length of her entire arm. Hermione took the other side while Ron stood by her. Together they moved the huge paw, revealing the trapdoor. Megan knelt by it and looked at her friends.

"Okay. I'll go first. Now I want you to promise me something."

"What?"

"If I send out red sparks or if Fluffy gives any sign of movement, take my cloak and get out. Understood? I mean it. I won't have you die with me."

Megan watched them intently until they both nodded. The harp was still playing.

"Okay... see you in a minute."

She lifted her legs into the hole, took a deep breath, and pushed herself forwards.

The fall felt both very long and really short. She hit something tender but firm, so she was unhurt. She called out:

"It's okay! You can jump!"

Ron quickly came down himself, followed by Hermione. And not a moment too soon, because Fluffy started to growl.

"Ron? Hermione, you two okay?"

"Yeah," said Ron, sounding surprised. "Lucky for this plant thing."

"Lucky?!"

Just then, Megan's eyes, now accustomed to the gloom, realised what she was sitting in. It looked like huge thick green pipes... except they moved.

"Well, yeah..."

"Ron, get up! Hurry!"

Hermione and she were already struggling to pull free from tendrils and coils wrapping around their feet and legs. Megan tried to reach out and pull Ron free but it was too late.

"Stop moving. This is Devil's Snare. You have to relax or it'll kill you faster."

"Oh, that'll help me relax, won't it?!" Ron shouted, struggling that much harder.

Hermione, sitting still, rolled her eyes. Then, she suddenly sunk and disappeared!

"Hermione!"

"I'm fine! Just calm down!" they heard from below.

But Ron wouldn't stop moving.

"Ron! Stop it, it'll-"

But Megan's neck was caught. She instinctively tried to fight it off, but if she even moved, it tightened slightly. So, she breathed in and stayed still. And sure enough, she slid through the tendrils and fell down onto a hard stone floor.

"Megan!"

Hermione helped her up. They could hear Ron above them.

"He's not relaxing!" Hermione wailed.

"What does Devil Snare hate?" Megan asked.

"Oh, I read something in Herbology...! Devil Snare... It's deadly fun..."

"But we sulk in the sun!" Megan completed. "Together!"

They raised their wands, and in one powerful chorus, shouted:

"Lumos Solem!"

Bright light shone from their wands and Ron toppled down.

"Ron, you okay?"

"Yeah..."

He was slightly shaken, but his fall hadn't hurt him.

"What's that noise?" Hermione asked.

"It sounds like wings..." Megan said, frowning in confusion.

_What would birds be doing down in a place like this? _Megan thought as they stepped forwards. They opened the door and entered a high, round room. There was a large column in the middle and a large flock of flying creatures high above them. Ahead, there was a door. They darted to it, and Hermione tried to pull it open.

"It's locked!"

Megan tried _Alohomora_ again, but it didn't work.

"Of course… it would be too easy…" Hermione groaned.

"What now? There's no key anywhere!" Harry said.

Megan looked up. Then, her mouth oed.

"Yes, there are! Up there!"

"Yes, but they can't all fit the keyhole," Hermione said. "There must be about a thousand up there!"

"..."

Megan's eyes then fell on a tattered broom, hovering nearby. She went to it and reached out to it. She had barely held out her arm that it shot into her hand. She paused, waiting. Looking up, she tried to see which key they needed. It would be old and silver, like the handle...

"There! I see it, look! It's got a bad wing!"

Indeed, one of its wings was slightly bent. That could only mean Snape had been through there before.

"What is it?" Ron asked when Megan said nothing.

She looked up at them, frowning slightly.

"... It's too easy."

"Go on, Megan, you can do it! You're the youngest Seeker in a century!" Ron said. "If Snape could do it, you can!"

Megan nodded and took a deep breath. Then, she climbed onto the broom and kicked off, almost by instinct. It wasn't anything like her Nimbus, but the sensation of flight was still there. She rose upwards, looking for the key. But they all moved around so fast it was difficult to see what any of them looked like. She looked around her, trying to make it out. Just then, she spotted it, a few feet ahead. She soared towards it but it kept slipping out of reach. It probably didn't want to be wounded again. She tried to cut across it but no good. She soared down after it, then turned to follow it, and almost got it. She heard a small groan from below. She bit her lip. She had to hurry or they might be too late. She then got an idea. She stayed very still. The keys fluttered around her, until the one she wanted came closer. In one swift movement her hand zoomed out and caught it. She was careful not to touch its wings, though, not wishing to hurt it. She held it firmly and sped back down.

"Got it!" she said, landing and running to the door, unlocking it and pushing the others inside. Then, as the keys above were starting to get agitated, she pointed her wand at the key which was whimpering miserably, and said:

"_Reparo_"

Its wing straightened and its silver glistened. It twitched excitedly and fluttered a few seconds around Megan, who smiled. It fluttered before her and then soared upwards out of sight. But the keys were angry and soared downwards towards Megan. She darted past the door and pushed it shut. The hundreds of keys hit the wall, and an equal number of thuds echoed around Hermione, Ron and Megan. Theylooked at each other, relieved, then turned to see what else awaited them.

"Okay... we've had Hagrid, Sprout, and Flitwick..." Megan said counting on her fingers. "So that leaves four. Where are we, anyway?"

They were looking at a dark room with several level figures ahead of them. It was silent and eerie, making Megan think of a graveyard. But Ron shook his head when she voiced this.

"It's not a graveyard..."

"Well, what d'you think it is, then?" Hermione asked.

He stepped forwards.

"Yep... it's a chessboard."

Looking down, Megan saw that the floor was indeed patterned with black and white squares and that what she thought to be stones were giant pawns, towers and the other pieces in a chess game. Except they were the same size as the three of them! Most of them bigger, even. She couldn't help but shudder.

"Okay... so what now?" she asked.

"There's the door, there." Hermione said.

She made to step towards it but the white pawns raised their swords threateningly and Megan only just had time to pull her back.

"But how else are we going to get through?" She asked in desperation.

"There's nothing else for it..." Ron's voice said. "We'll have to play our way through."

"But I've never even played chess!" Hermione said in a panicky voice.

"And I've always been rubbish at it..." Megan said. "But Ron can do it."

"What?"

"Yes. You beat both me and Harry every single time." Megan assured firmly.

Ron hesitated, as if surprised by her trust.

"Ron, if anyone of us can do this, you can."

He took a deep breath and said:

"Okay, then."

"What do you want us to do?"

"Hermione, you take the queen's castle, and Megan, you'll be that bishop."

"Right."

They stepped onto the tiles which were now empty. Then, Ron took the place of a knight.

"So what now?" Hermione asked.

"White goes first... then, it's up to us."

And as he said that, the first white pawn advanced. The game had begun.

The game felt like it lasted for hours. But Megan wasn't too worried. Ron was truly revealing himself as a player. He used tactics Megan had never seen him use on her or Harry. But he was so focused on what the enemy was doing, he sometimes only realised just in time she was in danger. However, he took most of the risks, because he was out more often than they were.

"Hermione, head to E6."

"No, Ron, the queen can reach her there!" Megan said.

"Oh, yes, right. Uh... head for D5 then. Yes, that's safe."

Then, a white piece took a pawn Ron had forgotten. Ron retaliated by knocking down the opposing bishop himself. Then a white pawn moved one square ahead.

"Megan, four to your right."

The game seemed to last for a long time. Megan then remembered the entire set had been intact when they had arrived. How did Snape get through without playing? Megan then returned her attention to the game. Hermione was four squares aside of her, looking worried.

"We're almost there..." Ron said. "Let me think..."

Megan looked around too, looking at any opening. But she could only see one.

"Wait a minute..."

Ron seemed to have come to the same conclusion, because he said:

"You've got it, Megan. If I make a move, the queen will move away from you and the king, so you can check mate him."

"No! Ron, no!"

"It's the only way, Megan." he said.

"There must be another way...!" Hermione said.

"Maybe, but we don't have time to try and find it!" Ron retorted. "Megan, you have to go on. And if I can help you by staying here, then I'm doing it."

"But Ron..." Megan began.

"I'll be fine." He promised. "Now, don't hang about here when you win."

He was looking pale and scared, but determined.

"Knight to H3," he said.

And his horse advanced. There was a long silence. Then, the towering white queen raised her sword and speared the horse, sending Ron crashing down.

"RON!" Megan yelled.

Hermione made to head towards him, but she said:

"No, wait. It's my move. The game's not over."

She stepped resolutely towards the king, and said:

"Check mate!"

The sword fell at her feet. Then, she and Hermione darted to an unconscious Ron. He was out cold, but otherwise unharmed.

"Hermione, we have to get to the stone. Ron will be okay. He's just unconscious."

She was trying to convince herself, poorly succeeding. They headed to the door, and entered a small corridor. And walked into a foul smell.

"Ugh! What the...!"

Then, Megan held out an arm to hold Hermione back. It was a huge, ugly, revolting troll. It was even bigger than the one they'd fought in the toilet. It was out cold by the look of it. Megan could see its shoulders move as it breathed.

"Good thing that one was dealt with..."

Hermione gripped Megan's hand, and they pushed on. They then reached a small chamber, lit by dark blue flames blocking the door on the other side.

In the centre was a table with several different potion vials.

"That'll be Snape's." Megan said, stepping forwards, not letting go of Hermione. They stepped forwards and immediately felt the heat of another fire behind them, this time, purple in colour.

"Now, what?"

"There's a note on the table," Hermione said.

It read:

_Two of us will help you, whichever you can find,_

_One of us will lead ahead,_

_The other brings you back instead._

_Two of us are merely wine,_

_But three killers hide within our line_

_Poisons will hide on the wine's left side_

_However slyly they may hide_

_Different are the two on each end,_

_But to move on, neither is your friend_

_And the second left and second right_

_Are twins though different at first sight._

"What are we going to do? I can't make much sense out of it..." Megan said.

"Let me think..." Hermione said.

She strode up and down the table pointing and muttering to herself. Eventually, she turned to Megan.

"Okay. I've figured it out. The smallest will take us forwards to the stone." she said, holding it up.

Megan frowned.

"But it's too small for the two of us..."

Then she got an idea.

"I'll go ahead, then. Which one will take you back through the purple fire?"

"This one," she said, pointing.

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay. You take that. Get Ron, and then take the broom from Flitwick's room. It'll get you out, then head to the owlery and get a letter to Dumbledore. I'll try and hold Snape off for a while but I don't know how long that'll be."

"But what if You-Know-Who's there too...?"

Megan let out a sharp breath.

"I got lucky once, didn't I?" Megan smiled, pointing to her scar.

Hermione put the bottle down and hugged her.

"You're a great witch..."

"Not as good as you," Megan said, as they let go of each other.

"Me? Books, and cleverness... you've understood what really matters. Friendship and bravery... Oh, Megan, just be careful."

They hugged once more and Megan said:

"You first. That way I can try and find a way to help if needed."

She picked up the bottle and took a long swig. Then, she shivered.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes... it's just the potion feels like ice."

"Go on, hurry."

She hurried through the flames, and was gone. Megan sighed with relief and picked up the smallest bottle. She took the one gulp it contained and felt like her whole

body had just gone through freezing water. Shivering, she out the bottle down and stepped into the flames. They didn't touch her. She kept going until she was clean

out of them. Then she opened the door and reached a long staircase heading downwards. And in the middle of the room ahead was what she immediately recognised

as the mirror of Erised. But someone was standing in front of it. And it wasn't Snape...


	11. Book 1 - Chapter 11

11 – The Truth behind the Mask

"Pro..."

Megan could barely believe it. It couldn't be true.

"Professor Quirell...?"

He turned round and looked at her without saying a word.

"No, it... Snape...!"

"Yes, he does seem so much more the type, doesn't he?"

His voice was much colder than before, and his stutter had gone.

"Who wouldn't suspect him, next to p-p-poor st-stuttering professor Quirell?" he said.

Megan took a few steps forward, still unable to believe what she was seeing.

"But... Snape tried to kill me... during the Quidditch match!" She said.

He smiled coldly.

"Oh, no, dear girl. That was me._ I_ tried to kill you."

Megan's mouth fell open as she realised what that meant.

"So... when Hermione saw him pronouncing something... he was trying to save me?!" she said, her eyes wide with confusion.

"Very good, Potter, he did. And trust me, without your little friend Granger interfering, I would have succeeded!"

He turned to the mirror. Megan could see her expression in the corner.

"Now... what does this mirror do...? How am I to get what it is showing me...? I see myself with the stone, but how do I get it?"

Megan hadn't moved in the past few minutes. But then, she heard something echoing.

_Use the girl... the girl, you fool..._

Quirrel looked up at her reflection.

"Of course..."

He spun round.

"Potter! Down here, now!"

Megan obliged, though guardedly. She stepped down the large stone steps and stood beside Quirell. First all she could see was herself, in her red shirt and jeans, both of which had tears. There was blood on her fingers from the chess game, and a nasty cut on her cheek. She was fighting to keep the fear out of her eyes. Her long hair fell down her shoulders, her ponytail having come down along the way.

"Tell me what you see," Quirell ordered curtly.

Megan immediately understood she had to lie.

_Think_, she chided herself, _think_!_ You can't let him find the stone._

"I... I'm holding the Quidditch cup..." she finally said. "Gryffindor won it... I'm being lifted by the team."

It almost worked. He had had plenty of occasions of seeing how much she wanted to fit in, and loved Quidditch. But the voice intervened:

_She lies... she lies...!_

Quirell turned on her.

"Tell the truth, child! What do you see in the mirror?!"

Megan looked again, trying to think of something. If she lied again, he would know. But what _did_ she see...? She was so focused on finding the stone before he did to stop him from using it, she only just noticed something. She saw her hand slide into her pocket, a confident smile on her face, her eyes twinkling, and she pulled her hand out of her pocket, holding a large, dark red stone... it couldn't be... just then, she felt something heavy drop into her _real_ pocket. She glanced at her reflection, who winked at her. Carefully reaching to feel it, she tried to hide any of the emotion that came over her. She really had the stone. But Quirell got impatient and asked:

"What do you see, Potter? Tell me!"

_Let me speak to her... face to face... _said the voice.

Quirrel's anger vanished and he turned away from Megan.

"Master, you're not strong enough...!"

_I have strength enough for this, Quirell._

Megan fought the urge to look around to identify the voice. But her silent question was answered when she saw Quirell remove his turban, standing with his back to the mirror. And, now, Megan knew why he always wore it day in, day out. There was no hair at the back of his head. Instead, there was a face.

Megan's eyes widened, and her heart raced.

"Megan Potter..." said the now identifiable voice. "We meet again."

Megan fought to keep herself composed as she stared at the face. If you could call it that. It had tiny blood red eyes and two long slits for a nose, like a snake. It was pale and cold. There was nothing human about this face.

"Voldemort..." Megan whispered.

Her heart hammering in her chest, she forced herself to keep still.

"Yes... see what I have become?" He said. "What I have had to do to survive...? You see, Unicorn blood sustained me for the past months, but cannot provide me with a body. However, the Elixir of Life has such a power... but for that, I need the stone in your pocket..."

Megan backed away and bolted for the door, stone still banging against her leg. But Quirell snapped his fingers and a circle of flames appeared, blocking her way out. She turned round, looking for another exit. But there were none.

"Don't be foolish, child. You have a choice, Megan. Either die trying to resist me, as your parents did. Or join me and live..."

"Never! You can just kill me now!" Megan shouted.

"Ha ha ha!" Vodlemort cackled. "It would be so easy, wouldn't it? Yet I feel that would be insulting the childish but true bravery you're showing here. Your parents had it too, you know. They put up a very strong fight before I got past them to you. Now just give me the stone, unless you want their deaths to have been vain."

"They will be if I hand it to you!" She said defiantly. "They died believing in truth, in hope, and love! You have none of that! So I will keep their fire inside of me burning bright!"

Voldemort laughed his cold, heartless laugh again, sending a chill through her spine.

"You really are like your mother. She had in her eyes the fire you have now. Don't you miss them? It is painful, isn't it, growing up without parents?"

Megan didn't want to give him the satisfaction of confessing that her heart ached day and night since she had learned the truth of their death. How the fact that she had had no idea what they looked like, not knowing how real the mirror's reflection had been, hurt her more than anything in the world. So, she said nothing.

"Together, Megan, think of it! We could do extraordinary things! But I need you to give me the stone."

Megan then felt a pang as he produced two faces in the flames surrounding them. Those of her parents. Slightly distorted, but they looked pretty much like those she'd seen in the mirror. She tried not to let her pain show on her face.

"I know, dear child... how we miss the people we care about that are gone... But together, we could bring them back... isn't that what your heart most desires...?"

Megan said nothing. But deep down, it _was_ her deepest desire, and she knew it. She slid her hand into her pocket and pulled the large stone out.

"Yes... just think, Megan... all those years of pain... a bad memory... but for that to happen, I need the stone."

There was a silence. He thought he had convinced her… but:

"You liar!" she yelled suddenly.

"Kill her!" He ordered.

Quirell soared through the air, and Megan tripped backwards as he grasped her neck, pressing hard. Her arm flew out, and the stone slipped from her fingers. She ignored Quirell's hand strangling her and her scar burning like a hot poker had been pressed against it, and tried to reach for the stone. But she couldn't reach. She was suffocating. Cedric's face flashed through her mind. The thought of never seeing him again pained her more than anything she was experiencing now. Reflexively, her other hand flew to try and prise Quirell's hands off her. She scratched and pulled, but it was not what freed her. Seconds after she touched her, he jumped back, yelling in pain.

"What are you doing, you fool, kill her!" Voldemort hissed.

But Quirrel was too busy with his smouldering hands.

"I cannot touch her! What is this magic?! My hands! They're burning!"

"Get the stone then, you idiot!"

He tried to. But Megan leaped up and her hands, instead of reaching his chest, hit his face, and he yelled in pain, his injured hands reaching to touch his blistering face. She had meant to shove him backwards to give herself time to snatch up the stone and run, but she looked down at her hands in confusion.

"Get the stone!"

He turned to it, lying on the floor. Megan was behind him. She ran forwards and jumped onto him, holding on tight to his neck, one hand on Voldemort's face. Both howled, drowning out any other sound. Then, he managed to throw her off. She hit the floor hard, but managed to get up. She was about to jump forwards to get to the stone, but saw it was no longer needed. Quirell had died. His head hung lolling on his chest. But Voldemort was still there. He turned around, and darted for Megan, who managed to hold her hands out to hold his face; but he had managed to twist himself so his hands caught Megan's neck again. She could hear him howling as he left the body, and then, there was a blinding light, a yell and her name.

"Megan! Megan...! Megan..."

Megan felt like she was weighed down. She opened her eyes. She felt like she had water in her head. She looked around her. And gasped.

"Professor Dumbledore...!"

"Hello, Megan."

"Professor, the stone, Voldemort..."

He lay a gentle but firm hand on her shoulder to appease her.

"Calm down, dear child. He is no longer a threat. Not for the moment. Quirell is dead, and was unable to give the stone to Voldemort. I arrived just in time to prevent you from suffering the same fate. You did a very impressive job of protecting the stone yourself, though, I must say."

Megan's eyes widened.

"It was you... You found me? You got Hermione's owl?"

"I must have crossed it in mid air. But the truth of the matter is I had no sooner reached the Ministry that I realised the place I was supposed to be was the one I'd just left. I returned and headed straight to where I found you. I feared I might be too late."

"You nearly were. I couldn't have held him off the stone much longer."

"Not the stone, child, you! You were nearly killed in the effort to protect the stone! For one terrible moment, I was afraid I really had come too late."

"So, what happened to the stone, sir?"

"It has been destroyed. Now, no one will be able to play with death."

Megan's eyes widened in horror.

"But... Nicholas Flamel... and his wife... they'll die..."

"Oh, you know about Nicholas?" He smiled in amusement. "You did do things thoroughly, didn't you? They have enough Elixir to set their affairs in order. But yes. They will die."

Megan was horrified. She had never meant for anyone to die...

"Don't look so sad, Megan. I've discussed it thoroughly with him and his wife, and they both agreed it was the best solution."

Megan tried to say something, but hesitated.

"I sense that sharp mind of yours is in seek of many answers. Please, if you have any questions, feel free to ask them. I cannot guarantee an answer, mind you. However, if I don't answer, I will have a good reason not to, and hope you'll forgive me, for I will of course not lie to you."

Megan paused, unsure of how to put her question into words.

"... Sir, if the stone's gone, can Voldemort never come back?"

"Ah, Megan, I fear there are many other ways he can return. But if he is delayed again, and again, then, maybe he will never return to power."

She considered that for a minute, and on that precise moment, vowed to herself to always try and delay Voldemort, even if it cost her her life.

"... Professor... when I was fighting Quirell off... he... I burned him somehow. Do you know why that is?" she asked.

"I do, as a matter of fact. It's because of your mother."

"My mother...?"

"She died to save you. And a love so strong leaves a mark. A powerful protection. And if I know anything about Lily and James, is that they loved you with all their being."

Megan looked away to blink out the tears of her eyes. Then, she said:

"... Sir... Voldemort said he could bring them back... and for one fleeting moment... I... imagined it happening... "

Dumbledore's eyes turned sympathetic.

"It is natural to miss those we love." He said quietly. "But no magic, however powerful, can revive the dead, Megan. I strongly advise you never to forget that."

"I won't, Professor," Megan promised. "But, sir... I never knew where the stone was, so how did I get it out of the mirror?"

"Ah, that is one my more brilliant ideas. You see, unlike Quirell, you wanted the stone, but didn't intend to use it. That is how it was in your pocket."

Megan processed that.

"... Sir... do you know why Voldemort is trying to kill me in the first place?"

"I do, Megan. However, I cannot yet tell you. I will, I promise you. I know this is unpleasant to hear, but you will know when you are ready."

Megan was too polite to complain, but she felt a little frustration all the same.

"And... Quirell said... professor Snape tried to save me."

"He did indeed. You see, he and your father were old school enemies."

"Is that why he always seemed to dislike me so much?" Megan asked.

"Ah, well, they did rather hate each other, but then, your father did something Snape could never forget."

"What?"

"He saved his life. You see, you and your father have a moral fibre of the likes I have rarely seen." Dumbledore said.

"... So, he tried to save me at the match... because he owed my Dad?"

"I believe so, that way he could consider them quits and return to hating his memory in peace."

Megan said nothing for a moment while she took this in.

"Now, I have things to tend to, unless you have any other questions?"

"Well... something's been bothering me for a while, if you don't mind..."

"What might that be?"

"Well... when I was in the Forbidden Forest during detention... I saw Quirell drinking unicorn blood. And I've never been particularly scared of Voldemort but for some reason... when I saw him, I froze up..."

"Ah, that is because you are such a caring person." Dumbledore said. "You see, when someone has a heart as strong and noble as yours, it is more affected by cold and empty hearts such as Voldemort's. You had only ever seen him as a baby, and you have hardly any memory of that night. But that night in the forest, you met again. And as you had not been prepared for it, you weren't unaffected by it. I imagine it didn't happen tonight because you were expecting him to be there."

"Well… I wouldn't have been surprised," she admitted. "Hagrid said he reckoned Voldemort didn't have enough human left in him to die. D'you think that's true?"

Dumbledore heaved a long, heavy sigh.

"I'm afraid Voldemort ceased to be human long ago. Now, I should really get back to my duties. I suggest you enjoy some of these tokens from your friends. I'll leave you to it."

"Thank you, professor."

Megan looked and saw that there was a heap of sweets on the table at the foot of her bed, and a stack of cards on her bedside cabinet. She took one, and blushed. She glanced up to see if Dumbledore had noticed. But he had gone. She hadn't even heard him leave... Looking back at the card, she smiled.

_You will have some explaining to do._

_Hope you get better soon, Gryffindor missed you at the last match. And I missed you too._

_Yours, Cedric._

She saw a note from Hagrid, and from Hermione, a drawing of her catching a snitch with the Gryffindor team's health wishes. Just then, she heard Madam Pomfrey's voice.

"Five minutes."

Looking up, she saw who had come in and beamed.

"Hermione! Harry, Ron!"

They hurried over and hugged her, Ron a little awkwardly.

"You are never to scare us like that again!" Hermione said, her eyes bright. "Three days you've been out of commission!"

"Three days...!"

"Yes! And, you might have heard, we lost to Ravenclaw last match."

"Yeah... sorry, guys..."

"Sorry?! You saved everyone's lives! No one could blame you for this! Without you, who knows if there would have even been a match!" Hermione said.

"I guess not..."

"Oh, you are coming to the end of year feast, tomorrow night, aren't you?" Ron asked. "Slytherin'll be getting the cup, but the food'll be good."

"Sure."

Though she was far from keen on watching Slytherin gloat at their victory, she was eager to return among the other Gryffindors, and... – She kept that to herself, – talk to Cedric.

"So what happened down there?" Harry asked.

Megan told them all she could remember.

"So... Flamel will die...?" Hermione said when she had moved to her conversation with Dumbledore.

"That's what I said, but Dumbledore said they were both fine with it. What about you? What happened to you?"

"Well, I got back all right, then I got Ron, and we were just heading to the owlery when we saw Dumbledore!"

"You did?"

"Yes, he was already there, and he knew everything! He said "she's gone after him, hasn't she," so we just nodded and off he was!"

"Lucky he came when he did," Harry said.

"You said it. D'you think he meant for you to do it? Get to the stone and everything?" Ron asked thoughtfully.

"... I think he tried to give us a chance, because he knew we would try anyway, so he gave us just enough to help. I doubt he let me find the mirror by accident."

She had finally confessed about the mirror. Hermione had been slightly disapproving, but not for long.

"I think he felt I had the right to face Voldemort if I could."

"But you're just a first year! You're no match for him!" Hermione said.

"There was hardly anything left of him. It was Quirell who did everything. And anyway, if I hadn't done anything, he could have returned and killed me then."

Madam Pomfrey then marched in and ushered them out.

Megan was released the following morning. The ward was bright with sunshine. As she gathered her things, Megan looked outside. The grounds were bbright and covered in flowers and sunlight. It was a beautiful sight. Megan could hardly believe the year was over. She4d been so caught up in stopping Voldemort that she couldn't help but feeling that she had barely seen the year go by. She hoped maybe next year would be more peaceful. After all, it would probably take a while for Voldemort to get his strength back. And even before that, he'd have to find another way to get his body back, whoich would probably also take time. Megan ran a hand through her hair. She had taken a long shower and now felt much better. Her neck was still bruised from the multiple attempts at strangling her, her cheek had paper stitches and her hand was bandaged, but she had stopped Voldemort, so it was worth it. But she was impatient to see her friends.

"All set then?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she pulled on the clean jacket Hermione had brought her.

Megan had also asked Hermione for her scarf to hide her neck. No need to attract even more attention than she already did. Plus, they were not exactly attractive.

"Yes. Thank you for everything, Madam Pomfrey."

"Just doing my job," she said, but she smiled all the same.

Megan gathered her things and was just about to leave when she heard a voice.

"So, you made it."

She whipped round. And beamed.

"Hi, Cedric." she said.

He was leaning against the door frame, his arms folded, with a smile on his lips.

"Hi. So, what's the story?"

"You haven't heard it?"

"I want to hear it from you. I told you you'd have some explaining to do, didn't I?" he added, a glint of amusement in his bright eyes.

Megan smiled as she remembered the card.

"You did." She agreed. "Thanks for the card, by the way."

"You're welcome."

She pulled her bag from the bed and went towards him.

"C'mon, I'll tell you everything."

It was hot and everyone was playing around, relaxing after the exams. Cedric listened while Megan told him everything. He didn't interrupt her once. And it took so long to explain everything that it was nearly sunset by the time she had finished.

"You realise you were almost killed?" he said when she fell silent.

Megan leaned back on her hands looking at the lake.

"Yes, I do. But it didn't matter to me." She said. "All that mattered was protecting the stone, and my friends..."

She tried hard not to blush as she secretly added _and you_. But something came to her.

"You know, I should thank you." She added.

"Thank _me_?" Cedric repeated, surprised. "I didn't do anything, you never asked me for my help."

"No, but... when I thought I was going to lose, I... thought about you, and I somehow managed to fight back..."

She peered at him, wondering if he'd think she was crazy. He didn't seem to.

"I'm glad I helped, then," he said. "But why didn't you ever tell me about it? I have more experience."

"Believe me, I wanted to, I would have definitely felt more comfortable with yo-your knowledge, but I had already gotten so many people involved, I didn't want you to get into trouble or be in danger..."

Cedric shook his head and sighed.

"So you don't care if you're hurt, as long as others aren't? You do realise that we don't want you hurt either?" he said.

Megan hadn't really thought of it like that.

"I guess I was a little selfish."

"I see nothing selfish about it. You're just still a first year." he teased.

She nudged his arm and they laughed.

"Come on." he said. "I didn't help you save the world, so the least you can do is allow me to escort you to the Great Hall."

Megan laughed and took his arm.

There was a lot chattering when they entered the great hall. Cedric then released Megan and looked at her.

"Hey, promise me something, Megan, okay?"

"Er, sure..."

"Next time you're going to be doing illegal or dangerous stuff, tell me." he said. "So I can help."

Megan had expected something like that, and even if she didn't like possibly endangering him, if he was willing to take the risk, it wasn't up to her to stop him.

"I promise. But you have to promise you'll be careful if I do."

"Promise."

Satisfied, they smiled at each other. Then, Cedric headed over to the Hufflepuff table. She went to the Gryffindor table. She sat down just as McGonagall called for their attention. And professor Dumbledore stood up.

"Another year gone. And I believe the House Cupneeds awarding. The points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor with three hundred and twelve points."

Megan and the others felt a twinge of guilt, as that was mainly their fault.

"Next, we have Ravenclaw with three hundred and fifty two points. Hufflepuff comes in second with four hundred and twenty six, and finally, in first place, with four hundred and seventy two, is Slytherin house."

There were loud cheers from the Slytherins, but only them. The other tables remained silent. But Dumbledore silenced them.

"Yes, well done, Slytherin. However, recent events must be taken into consideration, and I have some last minutes points to award."

Malfoy's face fell. Megan looked at the others, who were as puzzled as her.

"First, to Mr Ronald Weasley," Dumbledore began.

Malfoy's face expressed the deepest horror.

"For a brilliant chess game, and unwavering loyalty to his friends, I award Gryffindor fifty points."

There was a loud round of applause, even from Ravenclaw, who were now in last place. Ron looked at them incredulously.

"Me...?"

"Yes, Ron, you!"

"Next, to Miss Hermione Granger," Dumbledore went on. "For her cool use of magic and intellect, I award her fifty points."

Megan and Hermione threw their arms around each other.

"And third, to Miss Megan Potter. For pure nerve, strong will and outstanding courage. I award Gryffindor House sixty points.

There was more loud cheering. And Megan and Hermione looked at each other. They knew they were now tied with Slytherin.

"And finally, it takes a great amount of bravery to stand up to an enemy, but even more so, to stand up to a friend. I award ten points to Neville Longbottom."

Neville looked as though he'd just swallowed an egg whole. He had just been awarded points? He usually lost points!

"And if my calculations are correct, I believe we need a change of decoration." Dumbledore concluded.

He clapped his hands and raised them to the long silver and green banners which turned scarlet and gold with a ferocious lion on it. The cheering reached its climax. Malfoy threw his hat off in disgust. Megan and the others were on their feet, throwing their hats in the air and cheering. Megan saw Cedric wiggle his way through the crowd to her.

"Congratulations," he said, hugging her.

"Thanks, Cedric. Sorry it meant beating you..."

"Oh, don't worry about it. We'll get the Quidditch Cup next year." he said.

"Not if I can help it," Megan retorted with a smile.

"Bring it on," he smiled.

Megan was the happiest girl in the world. Voldemort was gone, for the moment anyway, they had won the House Cup, and she had the best friends one could dream for. She knew she would never forget tonight.

The day they were scheduled to return home arrived, as well as a slip informing them that they were not allowed to perform magic outside school, and especially not in the presence of muggles. On the platform, everyone was bustling about, getting their things together. Megan saw Cedric a little further. She asked Hermione to hold the door for her, and hurried over.

"Cedric!"

He turned to her, and smiled. She smiled back, but a little sadly.

"Oh, come on, it's just two months," he teased.

Megan smiled.

"I'm really glad to have met you." she said.

"Likewise," he said.

They hugged each other. Then, Cedric climbed on and disappeared.

"Hey, Megan!"

Turning round, Megan saw Hagrid, towering over the students. She beamed and hurried over to him.

"Didn't think you were leaving without saying goodbye, did yeh?"

She smiled.

"Here, I got this for yeh."

He handed her a large photo album. Megan's mouth fell open. Looking up, she saw Hagrid smile.

"Been asking around fer photos. Knew yeh didn't have none."

"... Thanks, Hagrid..."

She threw her arms around him. He chuckled and put his huge hand on her back. Then, he said:

"Go on, now. Better get movin'."

She smiled and hurried off. Then, she leaned out the window to wave as they left. And even if she was in for a long summer at the Dursleys', she was happy, because she had found everything she could dream of.

Megan and the others enjoyed long games of Exploding Snap, though Ron refused any game of wizard chess, to the girl's amusement. They reached the platform and climbed off. Megan saw Cedric meet up with his parents. Their eyes met and Megan felt the reality of the separation hit her harder than before. Not to mention a slight envy at the way his parents beamed at him. She forced a smile as their eyes met and waved before following Harry, Ron and Hermione through the passage. The Dursleys and the Weasleys were waiting, the first keeping their distances.

"Busy year?" Mrs Weasley asked, smiling at them.

"Yes. Thanks a lot for the jumper, Mrs Weasley!"

"Oh, that was nothing, dear."

"You ready?" grunted Vernon's voice behind them.

She turned. The three of them were there. Nathalie must have finished her year at the same time as Megan, she thought.

"Yes."

"I'll write to invite you over!" Ron said to the three of them.

After one last group hug, Hermione said:

"Uh... have a nice summer, Megan."

To their surprise, she smiled.

"Oh, don't worry, I will."


	12. Book 2 - Chapter 1

1 – When turning twelve could be so much more enjoyable...

In her eyes, Megan was as ordinary as a girl could be. On the outside, anyway. She had long reddish brown hair, large green eyes and a very lightly tanned skin from

the hot summer sun. But on the inside, she was not so ordinary at all. You see, she was a witch. Oh, not the evil kind you see in some children's books, with pointy

hats and warts that turned people into frogs or bats. No, she was a pretty young witch who had only just found out a year earlier who she truly was. She had, in fact

attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And in almost twelve years since she'd been born, it had been the best year of her life. Although, if she was

honest, she wasn't sure that was actually quite true. She was positive that in the first months of her life, when she had been with her parents, she had been happy.

That her parents had loved her. But she would never know such a happiness again. Because her parents were dead, murdered by the feared wizard Lord Voldemort,

who had then tried to kill Megan. But somehow, when her parents had both been killed, she, Megan, had survived with nothing but a scar, while Voldemort had been

reduced to close to nothing. He had nearly gotten the better of her at the end of her first school year, just months before, however, for they had battled ferociously for

the Philosopher's stone, a magical entity which granted eternal life. But she hadn't been alone. Her best friends Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Harry Nelson had

helped greatly. But now, she was back at the Dursleys. And though they didn't force her to lock up her things in the cupboard under the stairs, where she had formerly

slept, they hardly talked to her. Not that that made a huge difference from before she went to Hogwarts, of course. She lived with her non-magical Muggle aunt and

uncle, and her cousin Nathalie. They hated anything out of the ordinary, and had never approved of Megan's being a witch. In fact for most of her youth, they had

stopped at nothing to try and shove the magic out of her. To no avail, of course. So they had eventually had to condone themselves with forbidding her to mention

magic or anything they considered abnormal under any circumstances. So it was good that she had her books to study, not only because she found them very

interesting, but also she had plenty of homework to do. One thing was more upsetting than putting up with the Dursleyes or hiding pretty everything about who she

truly was. Megan hadn't mentioned this out loud of course, but she had not yet received a single letter from her friends. And the holidays had already started three

weeks ago. And the upsetting part was that she didn't understand why. It had been three long weeks, with no one to talk to, and of course, she hadn't thought of

giving her friends her phone number, or they could have called her. And all she had done all day each day since she'd come back was do chores. Clean the house, do

the shopping, get Nathalie's dry cleaning... and she had never had a single "thank you" or "please". And Nathalie's birthday had been as fun as the other years. Which

was not much. Megan had spent all day tending to Nathalie and her friends and their every desire. The amount of presents Nathalie had received had been even more

indecent that the year before. It was another long, hot day that morning. Megan was lying on her bed, with her window open, her chin pressed on her hand, listening

to her favourite songs, when a high pitched shout pulled her out of her reverie.

"Megan! Downstairs, now!"

Megan sighed.

_Here we go again_… she said to herself haplessly.

"Coming...!" she called back.

"Well hurry it up, then!" Came Petunia's voice. "The Masons arrive at seven!"

Megan, who had been looking through the photo album Hagrid had given her for then hundredth time (she never got tired of watching her parents or the pictures of

her friends), sighed again.

"C'mon, Mira. Her Ladyship awaits."

Mira, her faithful dog that she had found nearly two years ago in the street, let out a bark, got to her feet and trotted towards her. Megan swung her legs over her

bed and got up before going downstairs, graceful as ever even in a simple tank top, denim shorts and sandals. She glanced at herself in the mirror. There was a

definite change in her eyes. Something more mature about them. Although, when you thought about it, facing death in the eye had to change you. And Megan's whole

life had taken such a drastic turn in the last year... from hated and put down, she had become admired, and had gained a new confidence in herself. She was no longer

the girl who could be pushed around. She only did what the Dursleys ordered because arguing was just going to make everyone waste time and energy. And also,

even if she would never admit it, being busy helped her not think about how much she missed Hogwarts, and her friends. As Megan came down, she was tugging at

her pony tail to tighten it. Nathalie was in her room trying on one of the twelve new dresses she had received for her birthday, along with a huge make-up box, three

new designer hand bags, perfumes, expensive jewellery, five pairs of shoes and a silver watch. Megan pushed the kitchen door open. Vernon was probably still at

work, and Petunia was in the kitchen, cleaning, her apron around her waist and a scarf over her short curly black hair. She spotted Megan.

"Ah, there you are." she said. "Go outside and prune the garden. And don't come in until I tell you that you can. Is that clear?"

"Yes, aunt Petunia..."

It would give her a little peace, Megan thought. She liked being among the flowers, and Nathlaie had been complaining all week how it was too hot outside for her to

stand it, meaning sher'd most likely stay inside. So, she spent the next few hours in the garden. Later, Nathalie came out with a cold glass of lemonade, her huge

sunglasses and designer shorts and top.

_So much for peace…_ Megan sighed to herself.

"I know what day it is." Nathalie said.

Megan, who was amongst the roses, looked up.

"Good for you, then." she said warily. "What day's that, then?"

Nathlaie took a long drink before answering.

"It's your birthday." Nathalie said. "How come you got no cards?"

Megan only just in time held back the "how do you know" and went for:

"What makes you say that?"

"Oh, come off it. I'm not an idiot, you know. You've been miserable all day. No one is miserable on their birthday unless no one remembered it."

"And that has nothing to do with the fact I do nothing but chores all day?" Megan said.

Nathalie ignored her.

"Don't you have any friends at your school?"

"Well, that's really not your concern, is it, since you spent years making sure I had none anywhere else."

Nathalie made a sniffy noise and stalked off in her high heels.

Megan watched her before returning to the roses, heaving a sigh. It was true. She was twelve today. But Nathalie, as much as she hated to admit it, had a point. Why

_hadn't_ she had any cards? Or even a letter? She was used to the Dursleys not showing any interest in her, but her friends? It didn't sound like them to just plain forget

her. They had gotten very close in the time she'd been at Hogwarts. She had only few true friends, but they were ones she knew would stay with her for a long time.

There was Hermione, the brightest girl she'd ever met, who also lived in the Muggle world with her parents. Then there was Ron, youngest boy of a large family, all red

headed, kind-hearted but poor, and his best friend (and now Megan's), Harry Nelson, was a cheery boy with black hair, glasses and was in quit e a few ways very

similar to Ron. Slightly hotheaded, but a good friend when it came down to it. They had faced three headed dogs, the Forbidden Forrest… And then there was Cedric,

whom Megan had had a crush on pretty much since she'd met him. He was three yeas older, in Hufflepuff and hadn't taken part in that much of the action, but he was

undoubtedly a part of their group. He had been very supportive and friendly. But he hadn't shown any sign of life, either, which was odd, considering they'd all

promised to write… And Ron still hadn't invited her to stay, when he'd promised to, and even if for some reason he couldn't, he would have let her know... Had they

really forgotten her? No, she couldn't believe that, not after all they'd been through…

But that's just it, said a sly voice in her ear. Maybe because of all that danger you put them in last year, they prefer to stay well away?

No, that wasn't true. She'd told them plenty of times they could walk away, and they hadn't. And even if they had wanted to do that, why promise to write and then

not do it…? She sighed and looked up at the sky, as if hoping to see an owl. It was silly, because she knew they usually slept in the day time. But nothing in almost a

month was strange... She wanted to send them an owl, but part of the reason she could have her things in her room was that she had agreed to not send any letters

with Hedwig. So she didn't. She sighed and went back to the roses. She had just finished watering them and was wiping her forehead when Petunia's voice reached

her ears.

"Come on! Inside, I want you out of the way."

Uncle Vernon was expecting important guests for dinner and hoped to get a large order of drills from them.

"Coming..." she said tiredly.

She stepped inside and out of the heat gratefully while Petunia peered outside.

"Good work with the garden," she said grudgingly. "Now hurry and eat. Then-"

"I know, in my room."

"Good."

Petunia thrust her plate onto the table. Megan, hungry after all that gardening, ate quickly and headed up. She liked the quiet of her room. And the Dursleys hardly

ever went in or even near her room. Megan sometimes thought they were afraid of what she was doing in there, or that her being a witch would somehow rub off on

her. She glanced inside at the large picture of the Gryffindor team she had pinned to her wall. All were waving, including herself. Fred and George were carrying her on

their shoulders. She remembered they'd taken that picture after their first training. She had had the time of her life. She gathered some clean clothes and went to the

bathroom to have a shower and change. Once she was done, she dried her hair and was just finished when Nathalie came rattling at the door.

"Hurry up! I need to get ready for dinner!"

Megan rolled her eyes. She's only been in there a half hour, while Nathalie was usually there for at least an hour.

"I'll be out in a second."

She pulled on her change of clothes, dropped the dirty ones into the laudry basket, and opened the door. Ignoring Nathalie's "finally!", she walked up the hall to her

room. But as she opened the door, she froze. It was her room all right. But there was now someone else in it.

"What the...!"

Sitting on her swivel chair, playfully spinning it around, was a small creature with pale skin, huge brown eyes and long pointed ears. It had very thin and long hands

and feet. Once he saw her, he grinned, stopped spinning and hopped off the chair.

"Hello, Megan Potter! A great honour it is to meet you, miss!"

Its pointy ears reminded Megan of goblins, but this looked very different, she noticed as she slipped inside and hurriedly shut the door. She thought "what are you"

was a bit rude, so instead, she asked:

"Who are you?"

The creature bowed.

"Dobby, miss. Dobby the house-elf."

He was about half her size, his large round eyes staring up at her, and wore a dirty pillow case. He had large bat-like ears but was grinning at Megan. Just then, the

doorbell rang, telling Megan that Vernon's guests had arrived. Megan buried her face in her hand. Of all the nights for this to happen...!

"Sorry, er... Dobby, was it?" Megan said. "But now is _reallynot_ the time for me to be having magical visits..."

"Oh, but it is of the utmost importance, miss!" Dobby said earnestly.

Megan bit her lip. Vernon would have a fit… but if really was important…

"Okay, then. Just hold on a minute. And please, whatever you do, not a sound."

She creaked the door open to hear what was going on. She could hear Petunia's high forced laugh echo up the stairs.

"That's so interesting, Mrs Mason. Do please go on!"

Megan sighed of relief and closed the door again.

_Good, they haven't noticed anything._ Megan thought_. Hopefully, I can get Dobby out undetected and they'll never know…_

Then, she turned to Dobby and sat down on the bed.

"Okay. What's so important, then?"

He shuffled his feet uncomfortably.

"It is difficult, miss... Dobby doesn't know where to begin."

"Why don't you sit down?"

Dobby's eyes widened.

"S... Sit down, miss?"

"Well... er... yes... I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to offend you or anything..."

"Offend… offend D obby? Never…"

Megan was slightly unsettled by this little creature. Though, she, like her friend Hermione, hadn't grown up among wizards and wasn't familiar with the customs of

magical creatures.

"Dobby knew of your greatness, Miss... but never has a wizard treated Dobby like an equal..."

"You can't have met many decent ones, then," Megan said with a smile.

She had meant it as a joke. But it didn't quite have the desired effect.

"N-Ah! Bad Dobby, bad, bad Dobby, shame on you!"

And with that, to Megan's horror, he flung himself forwards and started banging her bedside lamp against his head, squeaking in pain each time.

"Dobby!"

Megan leapt to her feet and tried to prise it off him.

"Dobby! Dobby, don't! Stop!" she whispered frantically.

Megan quickly yanked it out of his hands and pulled him away when he tried to take it again. Then, she quickly went to door and listened. No sign of movement coming

upstairs. She closed her eyes and sighed with relief.

"Dobby, you can't go hitting yourself like that! They'll kill me!'"

Dobby looked horrified.

"Oh, no, Dobby doesn't want that!"

Megan sighed.

"No, I don't mean it like that... it's an expression. A figure of speech, you see? Although with the Dursleys, I've come to expect pretty much everything. What in the

world were you doing that for?"

The elf rubbed his head.

"Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, he had to punish himself, miss."

"Your family?"

"The family Dobby serves, miss."

"Did they send you?"

Dobby shook his head vigorously.

"Ooh, no, miss, never. They would be very angry at Dobby if they knew."

Whoever his masters were, Megan had a feeling they didn't like her very much. She wondered for a moment who it could be. But something else caught her attention.

"But why d'you have to punish yourself?"

"If one does wrong, must one not pay the price?" Dobby asked innocently.

The reasoning was sound, Megan supposed… but it still seemed rather barbaric in her opinion.

"So why would you come here if you know it's wrong?"

"Because Dobby had to see Megan Potter as soon as possible. Even if he is to punish himself."

This really felt wrong.

"Can't you run away? Leave?"

"Oh, Dobby can't Miss, not unless he is set free."

"How would you do that?"

"Dobby has to be set free by being presented with clothes by his master, miss. Because house elves have nothing of their own. It is symbolic, you see?"

"I think so." Megan said.

This house elf business sounded rather a lot like slavery to Megan… but then, even in those days, some slaves were treated worse than others while some were

treated fairly. Clearly, Dobby had landed in such a family. "Okay then...Go on, what did you want to tell me?"

Dobby looked very seriously up at her.

"Dobby came to warn Miss Potter."

Megan frowned, perplexed.

"Warn me? About what?"

"Dobby is here to warn Megan Potter to not go to Hogwarts this year."


End file.
